Everyone, at some point, sustains a loss. Some hits in life are shocking and serious, but then, sadly, there are others that are devastating and disastrous. We can bounce back from most, but some losses are of such a magnitude, there’s no chance for recovery. The founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg took a huge hit. It must have been a dark, cloudy Thursday for the 34-year-old social media giant when, in the first five minutes of trading, he lost $16 billion.

The financial markets, and their stability or volatility, are somewhat removed from the day-to-day lives of the majority. But for those who follow developments in this sphere, the losses may not be over for Facebook. The social media platform with 2.23 billion active monthly users, has come under intense criticism in recent times for its content policies.

Facebook’s content policies allowed for the spread of misinformation that led to violence in countries like Myanmar and Sri Lanka.  In the USA, Zuckerberg spent hours testifying before Congress about the role Facebook played in allowing Russia to manipulate Facebook to spread misinformation during the 2016 presidential election.

There are other issues facing Zuckerberg and Facebook. It will be interesting to see how they all play-out for the social media Goliath. But for now, the five-minute-hit that resulted in a $16 billion loss in net worth for the third richest person on earth is significant enough that it will not be forgotten in history. For Zuckerberg, the hit caused him to tumble-down to the sixth richest,  according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

As significant as a $16 billion loss in five minutes sounds – there is a loss in life that is far more consequential – and it also occurs within five minutes.

Jesus Christ asked the question:

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:36-37

There’s another graph that does not measure financial loss. It is frequently seen in hospital emergency rooms.

When a person takes their last breath and the monitors flat-line – it doesn’t matter how much wealth you amassed or how much fame you achieved or how many awards and credits you accumulated or how many friends you had. Mark Zuckerberg, at a young age has accumulated more of the world’s wealth and also, lost more of it than most ever will.

Mark Zuckerberg and you have one huge thing in common. Life’s most valuable possession is your soul. It was Jesus who asked the rhetorical but deadly serious question: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

Friend, it takes less than five minutes to lose your soul. To take your final breath without having known Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, is to lose your soul for eternity. An accident, a stray bullet, a cardiac arrest – anything that causes the cardiac monitor to flat-line – is game over for you. There are no chances of making a come-back. No chances of recovery.

Without Christ – your soul is lost for the eternal ages. The Bible teaches, conscious, eternal punishment for those who reject God’s loving and generous and gracious and totally free offer of salvation through faith alone in Jesus Christ. To reject God’s Son is to consign yourself to eternal loss.

God’s purpose in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection was to make available to you the forgiveness of all sins and eternal life through your acceptance of His Son as your Saviour.

Speaking of Jesus, the Bible says:

There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

There is nothing more urgent in your life right now than being right with God. To be in Heaven, you must be saved. To experience fulfillment and to enjoy the real purpose of your life, you must have a vertical relationship with your Creator [God] through your personal faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Remember a $16 billion loss in five minutes is nothing compared to the eternal loss of your soul. Click here if you would like to discuss this further by email.

Sources:

time.com/5349862/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-stocks/

business.financialpost.com/investing/zuckerberg-loses-16-8-billion-in-a-snap-as-facebook-plunges

www.foxnews.com

 

 

 

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