#117 COUNT THE COST 9-11-26
There is a cost to following Jesus. Jesus never tried to hide that from us. He said, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34). Christianity is not merely adding Jesus to the life we already wanted to live. It means surrendering that life to Him. There will be sacrifices. There will be temptations we must resist, pleasures we must refuse, and sometimes people will not understand why we have chosen to follow Christ. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost?” (Luke 14:28).
So count the cost.
But we must also consider the alternative. What does it cost to reject Christ? Sin promises freedom but produces bondage. It promises pleasure but leaves emptiness. It promises life on our own terms, but “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We can spend our lives protecting ourselves from the cost of discipleship only to discover that we paid an even greater price by living without God. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Following Jesus may cost us something—but rejecting Him costs us everything that ultimately matters.
Then we must continue in faith. The Christian life is not merely about beginning well; it is about remaining with Jesus. Paul said, “If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast” (Colossians 1:23). There will be days when following Christ is difficult. There will be prayers that seem unanswered, burdens that feel heavy, and moments when the old life looks attractive again. But we keep going. We abide in Christ. We trust His wisdom. We remember His promises. We fix our eyes upon Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).
And remember what we are paying for: not salvation—for salvation is God’s gift of grace—but the privilege of faithfully following the One who gave Himself for us. Whatever we surrender to Christ is small compared with what we receive in Him. The cross came before the crown, but the crown is coming. So count the cost. Consider the alternative. And then, by the grace of God, continue in faith.
BDD
