“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” Luke 14:28
Jesus was giving a parable about the cost of being one of His disciples. He used the illustration of a person wanting to build a tower. Before a person builds a tower, he must consider the cost before building, unless he wants to take a chance on being short on cash.
Starting a building project is easy. In America, a few years back it was very easy to get a loan to build or purchase a house. Banks and the government were pushing loans for people to be able to own their own house.
Many people rushed out to get a home loan and were able to start buying their own home. However, later many of those same people ran into trouble with paying for the home. They did not realize the costs involved of owning their own place. Homes were being repossessed by banks, because people could not afford them.
Along with new homes, there were many buildings being worked on and companies or individuals ran out of money to build the place. Some of those buildings sat half done for years before being completed, or never completed.
In both these cases, people did not consider the full cost of purchasing a home or building.
In the same way, there are many people who become Christian without really considering the cost of following Jesus. When a person begins to follow Jesus, he is to do it with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength.
It is common for people to follow Jesus, just to escape hell. They do not look at the full cost of following Him.
Following Jesus means that you will be sold out to Him, mind, body and soul. It will mean giving up a lot of your own personal agendas and dreams. It seeking what He wants and doing what He wants.
The cost can be very high, though worth it in the end. The reward for the high cost is eternal life in heaven with God.
Each day, consider the cost of following Jesus. Being willing to pay the price so that you will not be embarrassed when you hit a time of high price. The cost is high, but worth it!
I pray today that you will know the cost of following Jesus; that you will dedicate your life to following Jesus; that you will not fear the cost of serving God; and that you will be God’s servant for life.
Following Jesus means that you will be sold out to Him, mind, body and soul. It will mean giving up a lot of your own personal agendas and dreams. It seeking what He wants and doing what He wants. That’s it in a nutshell, Tom. It’s not a choice to be lightly made!
Amen! Well said.