Several days after my wife had open-heart surgery, a friend asked me if there was anything I needed. I jokingly told him that it would be great if he could finish writing an Our Daily Journey devotional for me that was due later that day. My buddy, who happens to be a fellow ODJ author, enthusiastically offered to give me feedback on the piece I was working on—until he remembered that he didn’t actually have the time to do it! His swamped schedule simply had no margin.
My friend’s offer was kind and genuine, but he hadn’t thought through his availability to help me that day.
To think things through is an important part of life, especially when it comes to following Jesus. He told the following story to illustrate just how vital it is to think through the cost of following Him:
“Don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ ” (Luke 14:28-30).
There’s nothing more worthy to live for than following Jesus in advancing His kingdom in the here and now. But Jesus also wants us to know that following Him isn’t always easy. It’s risky and sometimes quite costly to do kingdom work.
Do you want to follow Jesus? Think it through! We can’t truly follow Him unless we’re prepared to lose the things we hold most dear for the sake of His kingdom—including our lives (Luke 14:26-27). To think of it, that’s something Jesus did for us!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Judges 6:1-40
More:
Read Galatians 2:20 and consider how Paul’s words can help you prepare for sacrificial service for Jesus.
Next:
What kingdom work might God be calling you to get involved in that should require you to count the cost? How does Jesus’ example encourage you to move forward?
Gary Shultz on March 8, 2016 at 6:30 am
Jeff, sorry your wife had that large of a health event. Sorry your schedules are so exacting, but as we know, that’s life. But I guess we shouldn’t be sorry about, is when a commitment or a “call” bites into life. I am totally amazed at how Christ always took time to show compassion during His earthly ministry, even while He was on the cross. I’m convinced if people make themselves available, God will use them and the cost is what He chooses and it is an opportunity, He will multiply. Thanks Jeff, maybe broaden that buddy base, Ha!
gagirllive on March 8, 2016 at 7:47 am
I subscribe to a newsletter about the persecuted church. It’s really difficult to read sometimes because of the suffering that is told, but one of the reasons I read it is to remind myself of what all of us who have trusted Christ have been called to. The heat is just now being turned up in our country, though not yet to the degree that our brothers and sisters elsewhere are experiencing. It has not cost us a lot here yet, at least not in terms of life-threatening situations. But we are called to count the cost through a daily dying of self to follow Jesus. An acquaintance of mine whose faith is questionable to me said she would die for Jesus if she had to. My reply to her was, “But would you live for Him?” Sometimes I think it might be easier to die for Christ than to live for Him. This is a very crucial subject about our faith…counting the cost. Thanks, Jeff, for tackling it.
gagirllive on March 8, 2016 at 9:54 am
P. S.—Prayers for your precious wife, Jeff!
sandy229 on March 8, 2016 at 9:56 am
That was a good reply to your friend. It would be easier for us to die for Him, but God wants us to be a living sacrifice for Him as it says in Romans 12:1. God can’t use us if we are dead. I read that in Oswald Chambers book, My Utmost for His HIghest, classic readings, it talks about sacrificing our lives for God. Then he goes on to say, it is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants us to be a “living sacrifice”, –to let Him have all of our strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus. That is what is acceptable to God.
gagirllive on March 8, 2016 at 12:31 pm
Amen, Sandy! Thank you for sharing that!
Tom Felten on March 8, 2016 at 9:37 am
Jeff, so grateful for how God helped you and your dear wife through a difficult time of more than one surgeries, and that she’s doing well. May we not take even one breath for granted, using each day and all that we have to live for Jesus and advance His new creational ways!
gshafer11 on March 8, 2016 at 9:40 am
Looks like your friend did help you finish the devotional (although probably not in the manner he expected). May we count the cost of following Jesus and plan for success by dedicating our time to His service. Prayers for your wife. -George
sandy229 on March 8, 2016 at 10:00 am
Thank you Jeff for this devotional and thanks to the one who helped you finish your devotional. My prayers are with you and your wife.
jim spillane on March 8, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Jeff and others – I know that the Word of God never contradicts itself, but early on in my walk of faith I often wondered why Luke 14:26 used the word “hate” in so many versions (translations) of the Bible. Is this the actual Greek or Hebrew word that was originally used? Are we really asked to “hate” our mother and father when it comes to counting the cost of being a disciple of Christ? Of course not! So why do so many translations use it. It must be very difficult for early God-seekers who are just beginning their journey to digest this verse of scripture, especially in the sense of taking the Word at its literal meaning. It seems to me that it is in the “newer” versions of the Bible where the word “hate” is replaced with a sense of indifference, or to hold in less regard, which certainly makes the verse more palatable. Blessings to all.