Left to Write: What Have You Got to Lose?
07-10-2006
by Brenten Gilbert

. . .and here we go, there's nothing left to lose.
- Mat Kearney "Nothing Left to Lose"

Then I see your face / I know I’m finally yours / I find everything / I thought I lost before
- Red - "Pieces"

The story of Job is one I've always found intriguing. There are so many aspects to this book and so many different angles from which it can be approached. For the purposes of this piece, though, I want to talk about losing.

In this day and age, it's easy to assume that we've got a lot to lose. We may gain a great deal of status in the eyes of our peers. We may find great success in a given career or other endeavor. We may accumulate a wonderful collection of possessions. We may find ourselves tied to this earth by what the Bible calls the "pride of life." And even if our intentions are pure and noble, it still haunts us: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:25 NIV)

But. . . "have you considered [the LORD's] servant Job?"

While we all can be relatively wealthy in our own eyes these days, Job was exceedingly wealthy by any standard in his day. As an introduction, the book of Job describes him as "the greatest man among all the people of the East." after listing many examples of his wealth. Beyond that, and more importantly, Job was attributed the descriptors of "blameless" and "upright." Not bad, but you're probably thinking much like the angels and Satan were thinking: "where's the proof?"

Reading further, Job loses everything. If it could be considered wealth in the world's eyes, Job had it and Job lost it. Land. Livestock. Money. Family. Health. Everything. He had truly reached the point in life where he had nothing left to lose. Job's response: ". . . May the name of the LORD be praised."

Job's wife tempts him to curse God for this loss. Her efforts fail.

Job's friends travel a great distance in response to his suffering. Rather than comforting him, they seem determined to provoke him to an angry and sinful response. Their efforts also fail.

With nothing left to lose, Job remained faithful to God because he clearly understood that there was nothing in life that was ever really his to lose. Rather than basing his life and identity on the possessions that happened to be under his care, Job knew that everything, including his very life belonged to God and not him. So from his perspective - the perspective of a man who feared God and refused to do evil - Job never had anything to lose. (As it turns out, he was given more than ever before after he got through this trial).

Conversely, our society teaches us that everything, including God belong to us each individually. Therefore, from our perspective, we have a lot to lose. When we read passages like this or the accounts of when Jesus called the disciples, it's difficult to understand how quickly they responded, leaving everything else behind. With our current perspective, we hesitate to follow, weighing the "costs."

The truth is that we're entirely wrong. We need to change our perspective in life and follow hard after God, seeking first his kingdom. After all, what have we really got to lose?

Thanks for your time.

- bdg.