Count the Cost
“Count the cost” … It’s been a dilemma for decades … the desire for something, or to achieve something, but knowing it won’t just be handed to you on a silver platter. Folks have gone into certain lines of work that required more than your standard level of commitment due to longer than average hours, time away from family and the need to be wherever the job took you. It puts you in a different class of people … either making you “harder” and “tougher”, or “breaking” you down where you can’t take it no more. It’s also a matter of deciding what means more to you … whether it be money, the degree, the prestige or … something else. I’ve heard people use this saying many times…”Gotta go where the money is”. “Money” can be found anywhere … it’s just that some people think the more money they make, the happier they and their family will be. That’s just another lie Satan tells people that they believe. If a person loves the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength…and loves others as they do themselves…putting no other gods before GOD…the “idols” of this world will fall flat as the useless articles that they are and the true blessings of GOD will become evident. Families have dissolved thousands of times due to that “money” lie over the centuries. They’ve traded the things of this world over the truth of God’s word, and the proof speaks for itself ! Money’s ok, but we can’t make it our god ( 1 Timothy6:10 ). Count the cost. To be a disciple of Jesus, costs. We must not go into it on a whim or without alotta forethought. It’s not for the half-hearted or the weak … it’s gonna require dedication and discipline. There ain’t no such thing as a “part-time Christian”…either you’re in, or you’re out ( Matthew 12:30; Revelation 3:15-16 ). Jesus says, “ You’re gonna haveta put everything and everybody, including yourself, AFTER ME, or else you can’t be My disciple” ( Luke 14:26-27 ). Count the cost before you commit. Don’t start if you can’t finish strong. Once you “pick up that cross” and start carryin it, it’s a part of you…aint no castin it in a ditch or proppin it up in the garage like some exercise bike or treadmill that gets used for a little while, and then aint ( Luke 9:23 ). A committed Christian is a dedicated follower…a staunch supporter…a do-or-die disciple…believing that Jesus Christ IS the WAY, IS the TRUTH, and IS the LIFE ( John 14:6 ), worthy of everything HE provides or allows em to have or be ! Count the cost. I didn’t start a relationship with my wife, Pennye Jacobs Lewis, with the idea that it was gonna be for a short period. I never considered “divorce” an option … it was “for life…till death do us part” … that’s what i promised ! I made a covenant with her and she made one with me…and we made one with God. Forty-one years, nine months and seven days later, that covenant has been honored and our love for each other is still strong … the credit going to our relationship with Jesus Christ … otherwise, she’da probably already kilt me and buried me behind the house 🤣. As with any commitment, the cost needs to be counted BEFORE we “sign on that dotted line” … and following Jesus ain’t one to be entered into lightly. God expects more outta his kids than we do our own…fortunately. His code of conduct calls for higher standards of living than the world expects. Being pure and holy ain’t easy … it takes discipline and commitment … hard work and determination ( 1 Peter 1:16 ). Christianity ain’t for everybody … but the benefits FAR outweigh the costs ! Father, as we say goodbye to another year and usher in a new one, let our commitment unto you, count. Help us be fully committed to glorifying you with everything we have, everything we say and everything we think. Let our “yes” be yes and our “no” be no. As we consider every “next move”, let us first, consult you, for your approval or disapproval. Help us commit even more to studying your word … to understand better your will and your ways. Help us to love others more…the way you would have us to. As temptation presents itself, help us remember our covenant with you and hold to your standards of living. Jesus paid too high a price for us to live any other way ! Thank you for making us a way to live an abundant lifestyle. Thank you for being our awesome God ! In Jesus name…Amen.