Count the Cost

July 5

(Luke 14:28-33 NIV) “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? {29} For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, {30} saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' {31} "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? {32} If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. {33} In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

(Philippians 3:7-8 NIV) “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. {8} What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

Jesus answers the question that is in everyone’s heart: “If I give my life to you and follow you, what do I get to keep as my own?” The answer is, “Nothing!” The disciple of Christ owns nothing. It all belongs to God. If we lay claim to anything, we cannot legitimately claim that He is our Lord. We don’t need a list of what is God’s and what is ours -- there is only one list and it has God’s name at the top. Everything we have belongs to Jesus when we become a disciple. This includes our bitterness and anger, our money, our sex life, our habits, our time, our home, and our obedience. They all belong to the Lord. If we hold back, or reserve the right to disagree with His word, we are not “all in”. To start a relationship with Jesus and then back out when things get difficult, is repugnant to the Lord. If you decide to follow Jesus, do so with open eyes and a sold out heart. Count the cost! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day