Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost? (Luke 14:28) How many of us would answer Jesus’ question here by saying, “I did”? It’s not that hard to start something without knowing exactly what you’re getting into, only to abandon it later. Perhaps it’s a job that we take on that we really aren’t prepared for. Or perhaps it was a relationship that we did not tend to properly, and it ended up going tragically wrong. That’s how Jesus views disciples who haven’t “calculated the cost” of following Him. Realizing how flawed we are, we might think Jesus’ expectations are unrealistic. He asks us to be willing to give up everything to follow Him. (Luke 14:33). But we know that our commitment to Him seems rather weak at times. We don’t always pray as much as we should, and we’re often selfish and prideful. In spite of our best intentions, we fall short of the faith we profess. So how can Jesus lay down such tough requirements? Because He loves us so much! He left his place in heaven to live as one of us. He died and rose again to rescue us from Satan’s grasp. He knows that we pay a much greater cost by trying to hold on to the things of this world than by letting go and giving Him control over our lives. Jesus sets the bar high for us because He wants us to experience the fullness of life with Him. He’s not giving us an ultimatum, rather an invitation to joy in this world and eternal happiness in the next.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 16:40:21 +0000
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