The Cost of "Go"

This is the first of two posts addressing the cost of obedience to God. The second will be coming next week.

"For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" - Luke 14:28

Not long ago, I was driving down the road and saw a dog. It's not like it's unusual for me to see people walking their dogs. But this dog happened to look like mine - my dog who had died about two months before. My thoughts went something like this. "I miss my dog. Next time I get a dog, I'm going to have to pay for everything. Oh man, that'll include plane tickets to and from Denmark. I can't leave a dog in a kennel on an overseas plane ride. What if I never get to have another dog?"

Counting the cost is a phrase you hear a lot in church. Considering Jesus Himself said it, there's obviously a reason. Following Jesus has its rewards, but they're not free. Early believers were persecuted. They were beaten, stoned, and imprisoned. All but one of the apostles were executed just for proclaiming the Gospel. Millions around the world still face this reality.

With as many missionaries as I know personally, and with the plan to become one myself, counting the cost has become even more personal. Every time I realize I might miss important events in the lives of my friends and family - graduations, weddings, births. Every time I realize I might be leaving the country just as some friends are returning. I've left it all for 12 weeks before, and even though it was hard, I learned that I could do it. Whenever the price starts seeming too high, I remind myself of that. Then I saw that dog. Suddenly, the cost seemed very high - because I actually had to consider it. (Don't get me wrong, the people matter more to me than the dog, but I was always able to ignore that because I've handled it before.)

No matter what God is asking you to do, there's going to be a cost. You have to be willing to count that cost. If you jump in not knowing what it's going to cost, eventually you'll want to quit. The cost will get too high, and you won't want to pay.

But hopefully, when you count the cost, you'll also decide that it's worth it.

"As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, 'I will follow You wherever You go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.' To another He said, 'Follow me.' But he said, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' And Jesus said to him, 'Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God'." - Luke 9:57-60 

Join the conversation:

• What's God asking you to do?
• What will it cost you?
• Is it worth it?