#97 COUNT THE COST 9-7-26
Jesus never called us to follow Him without first considering what following Him would require. He did not hide the cost of discipleship. He did not promise that the road would always be easy, that obedience would never hurt, or that faithfulness would never demand sacrifice. He simply said, “Count the cost.” Before we build, we count the cost. Before we go to war, we count the cost. And before we give ourselves completely to Christ, we must count the cost (Luke 14:28–33).
COUNT THE COST OF FAITH
Faith is more than believing that God exists. Faith trusts Him when we cannot see what He is doing. Faith obeys when obedience is difficult. Faith walks when the road is uncertain. Abraham went out not knowing where he was going because he trusted the God who called him (Hebrews 11:8). Real faith will cost us our right to always understand. It will cost us our demand for control. Sometimes it will cost us comfort, security, reputation, and the approval of others. But whatever faith costs us in this life, it can never compare with what faith receives in Christ.
COUNT THE COST OF FOLLOWING
Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23). Following Jesus means that Jesus gets to lead. We do not choose the road and ask Him to walk behind us. We surrender our will to His. Sometimes following Him means leaving something behind. Sometimes it means saying no to something we desperately want. Sometimes it means standing alone when everyone else is going another direction. But the greatest tragedy is not that following Jesus costs something. The greatest tragedy would be to spend our lives following everything except Jesus.
COUNT THE COST OF FRUITFULNESS.
Everybody wants fruit, but fruitfulness requires pruning. Jesus said that the Father prunes the fruitful branch so that it may bear more fruit (John 15:2) God may remove attitudes, habits, relationships, ambitions, and desires that keep us from becoming what He wants us to be. Fruit does not grow without roots, and spiritual fruit does not grow without abiding in Christ. “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit” (John 15:5). Fruitfulness will cost us something because God is not merely interested in making us comfortable. He is interested in making us useful.
COUNT THE COST OF FAITHFULNESS
It is easy to begin. It is harder to continue. There are people who start with enthusiasm but disappear when the excitement fades. Faithfulness keeps praying when the answer seems delayed. Faithfulness keeps serving when nobody notices. Faithfulness keeps loving when love is not returned. Faithfulness keeps preaching when people refuse to listen. Paul could say at the end of his journey, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7) The goal is not merely to start well. The goal is to finish well.
And perhaps this is the greatest cost of all. Count the cost of giving your whole life to Jesus. Christianity is not Jesus added to an otherwise unchanged life. It is a life surrendered to Christ. “You are not your own, for you were bought at a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) We belong to Him because He purchased us with His blood. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
So count the cost. Count the cost of faith. Count the cost of following. Count the cost of fruitfulness. Count the cost of faithfulness. Count the cost of surrender. Then count the cost of refusing Him. Count the emptiness of a life lived for self. Count the regret of reaching the end and discovering that we spent our greatest years on things that could never last.
Jesus is worth the cost.
Whatever He asks us to surrender, He is worth surrendering it. Whatever He asks us to endure, He is worth enduring it. Whatever He asks us to leave behind, He is worth leaving it behind. For we are not merely giving something up to follow Christ. We are gaining Christ Himself. And when Christ is our treasure, the cost of discipleship becomes small compared with the glory of knowing Him.
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Lord Jesus, teach us to count the cost and then gladly pay it. Give us faith when we cannot see, courage when following You is difficult, strength to bear fruit, and grace to remain faithful until the end. Help us never to measure obedience by what it costs us, but by the One who is calling us. May our lives belong completely to You. Amen.
BDD
