In 2024, the world was rocked by the downfall of Bill Hwang, a once-billionaire Christian investor hailed for his faith-based business model. From humble beginnings, he rose to extreme wealth through an intricate web of financial schemes_ but it was all built on deception. His $36 billion collapse was one of the largest in Wall Street history. When his trial ended, many weren’t just shocked at the fraud—they were stunned that someone who publicly professed Christ could fall so far. The story made headlines, but the real question wasn’t financial; it was spiritual: How does a man gain the world and lose the part that matters most—his soul? Jesus once asked a similar question, not just to warn against wealth, but to awaken the cost of self-preservation over surrender. Some losses are eternal— and some profits are illusions.
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”
~Matt 16:26, Mark 8:36-37, Luke 9:25
There is no eternal gain without complete surrender.
These verses come at the heart of Jesus’ discourse on discipleship. He had just predicted His suffering and death, and Peter, still thinking in worldly terms, rebuked Him. He flipped the script, redefining everything: to follow Him, you must deny yourself, take up your cross, and lose your life. Then He asked a piercing question: What’s the point of gaining everything the world offers, if your soul is lost in the process? This was revolutionary in a Roman world obsessed with power, conquest, and image. But Jesus flips the entire value system. In Mark and Luke’s account, the emphasis grows: even if someone could own the whole world—what could they give in exchange for their soul? The answer is nothing.
Jesus wasn’t warning about riches alone; He was confronting the deeper idol: self. The “life” we choose to lose isn’t just biological; it’s the ego, the self-governed identity. I could remember a story told in the book of Acts very vividly, Paul was in prison and had to be transported by ship. He warned that they should not set sail, but they did it anyway. What does he know, after all? When the ship encountered a storm, the men assumed they could “save their lives” by jumping into the water and trying to swim to shore. Paul, speaking with divine wisdom, told them: “If you stay on the ship, you’ll live, but if you jump, you’ll die.” Listen, it didn’t make sense to them, I’m sure, but it illustrates how we must choose willingly to “lose our lives”, our way of thinking and doing things, to live the way Jesus instructs us to.
Our culture is all about the grind. It’s glamorized when someone is chasing wealth, influence, visibility, or status, boasting, “I don’t even sleep—I hustle while others rest; as if exhaustion proves worth. Whether it’s working for the church or the world, the idea is that the pursuit of more measures their worth. Whenever goals don’t reflect what Paul says: “It’s no longer I that live, but Christ living in me,” or when we’re unwilling to count all the gain we could have in this world as loss, as we redefine true success not being predicated on what we accumulate but who we have in our hearts, we miss the ultimate goal. Paul also writes that each person’s work will be tested by fire. Only what’s built on Christ will survive. We can’t build altars to ourselves while trying to crown Jesus King; the throne isn’t shared. Living this way, we cannot expect to truly have peace with God, nor can we be on mission in life seeking eternal reward and applause from people, not God.
I’ve had to ask myself: What am I clinging to that Jesus already told me to surrender? What part of my life am I still trying to save—my pride, my comfort, my plan? This passage reminds me that Jesus isn’t after a portion of me; He wants all. His love is too pure to compete with my idols. There’s no backdoor to discipleship; it’s costly because it’s worth everything. I don’t want to stand before Him one day, having succeeded in things that didn’t matter. I want to live a life that says: “You’re worth more than the world to me, Lord.”
Time of Reflection:
** Some gains cost more than they’re worth.
** Discipleship doesn’t demand perfection, but it does require surrender.
Heart Probe moment:
** What part of my world am I still trying to gain at the cost of following Jesus fully?
Scripture References:
Matt 16:24-26, Mark 8:36-37, Luke 9:25
Gal 2:20
Phil 3:7-8
1 Cor 3:13-15
Heb 10:39
Luke 14:33
Closing Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me count the cost with clear eyes. Remove every illusion of gain that keeps me from total surrender. You are better than anything the world can offer. I lay down my plans, my titles, my dreams—because none of them compare to You. Keep my soul anchored in eternity. Let me be found faithful, not successful in the eyes of man, but faithful in Yours, Amen.
