Today’s Reading, Luke 14-16
Focal Scripture: Luke 14:28 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?”
I hope one day to be able to build a home from the ground up. To do this will require a lot of conversation. It will also require me to sit down and look at every penny that is spent. I will have to decide what parts of the house get the most money. Conversations will have to happen about must haves. Then conversations will take place about what is in the budget and what is not in the budget. I will have to count the cost of the new home.
In today’s reading Jesus is telling the people listening to him speak that they must also count the cost. He tells them that if you want to be a follower than you must be a person who counts the cost to follow the Lord. He gives the explanation of a person who desires to build a tower. Before they can build that tower they must determine if they have enough funds to complete the project. Jesus wants his hearers to consider if they are willing to pay the price to be his follower.
I know this topic can get muddied by many people. Conversion experiences can be intense and they can come out of the blue. However, when a person decides to follow Jesus whether it happens over time or quickly, they have to ask themselves this question. Am I all in? Following Jesus will cost something. Yes, it’s a free gift but it requires that our lives are surrendered. Following Jesus with everything we have is the expectation. Half hearted believers are not biblical.
I challenge you today to ask yourself if you have counted the cost to be a Christ follower. I have been around enough to see many cultural Christians. They say all the right things and even look the part. However, they don’t follow Jesus. They follow their own path. Surrendering to the spirit is not for them because they like to be comfortable.
I challenge you to decide if you are a follower of Jesus or if you are just a fan. Count the cost of biblical obedience. It will transform your heart and your relationship with Christ. Because once you totally commit you don’t know what the word surrender or retreat means in your faith.
Count the cost of what it means to be a biblical believer. It matters more than you know.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Luke 17-18
