Do Not Count The Cost
Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” Elsewhere he said let the dead bury the dead, just follow me. In other words do not count the cost just follow me. It does not matter what may be going on in your life, we have to look at our lives as of no worth compared to following Christ. When I came to the Lord I saw my life until then was a let-down. Somehow I knew it would be better with Jesus.
Despite the heartaches and pains, (which everyone has to go through) With Jesus my prospective of those things kept me from falling into depression. I always knew that what was to come would be better for my life. Bad things happen to us all, sometimes things happen to us because we belong to Christ sometimes the bad things are those that may well have happened anyway. With Jesus we have the emotional strength, ability, and faith to be able to come out of all situations in a positive frame of mind, victorious.
Right here in Luke Jesus tells us what attitude we are to have towards our closest relationships compared to making the choice to follow the Lord. He is talking about making Jesus a priority in our lives. Even when those closest to us try to draw us away from that commitment.
“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:26-27
Take up your cross means not counting the cost. The cross is heavy, it will hold us back, make you weary, but you are going carry it anyway. The cross is pain and suffering, but you are not going to abandon it. To take up the cross means life as we know it is left behind. Jesus is not actually saying that we have to hate our closest relatives in order to follow Him. He is saying that in comparison against the desire to follow Him, it is or needs to be as if we hated those closest to us.
Our top priority, the first priority should be following Jesus no matter what. Do not stop to count the cost, it is too much. Then again there is a counter to this, a promise from the mouth of the Lord. It is recorded twice, once in Matthew. And here, I am not sure that I like the persecutions bit though.
Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. Mark 10:29-30
‘And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” Luke 18:29-30
The Promise is that if we have left any of these relationships behind for the sake of Christ, we will receive hundred times more in return, by way of friendships and people to watch out for us. Father and mother figures, brothers, and sisters in Christ. In this world as well as the next; in this life as well as the next. That is marvellous, a great promise. A promise to bring us hope, not despair.
Elsewhere it was told to Jesus that his brothers and mother were outside His house waiting to get in and see Him. His reply was a little startling, but in no way a put down of His family members. He said who are My brothers and mother, but those who do the will of God. He pointed to those that he classed as His mother and brothers. That goes for us too. Jesus said it, The Word of God said this.
While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:46-50
Jesus said something significant to a rich young ruler sell all that you have and give to the poor and follow Me. It says that the man was sad at that saying because he was very rich. He counted the cost, and the cost was too high. He did not even listen properly to what Jesus said. Jesus did not say give all that you have to the poor. If the rich man had acquired wealth through obeying the Word, the law, then surely he would have become even richer by following the word, Jesus.
Counting the cost before following Jesus is dangerous. We might gain our life and lose our soul. More seemingly harsh words from Jesus to some disciples that placed other things a priority over just following Him. Do the will of God, proclaim the gospel, and don’t look back. Jesus spoke these words to people who I think must have been on the fence. People who were already starting to count the cost. Jesus cut through all of their reasonings.
And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:59-62
The last part of this scripture can be, and has been used in relation, or comparable to Lot’s wife. There was salvation of offer to lot and his family, from what God was about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding areas. The angels had to lead them by the hand out of the city, because they were counting the cost of leaving everything behind. The Angels said go leave, go forward, do not look back. Move froward to your salvation, do not look back. Go forward into all that God has for you, do not look back. They all would have been free and happy, but lots wife looked back. Instantly she turn into a pillar of salt. If you like turned into ma lump of rock, sort of frozen in time. Petrified!
Counting the cost makes us stop and look back at what we have got and how hard we worked to get it, for how many years. Some become petrified of losing everything not realising that what is to come is better for us. What is to come will be more, greater than all that we had before. As Jesus said a hundred fold. That is a hundred times more. This is the promise. No it is not like the promise of sewing and reaping of thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold. It is straight to the top times one hundred. I have seen it and experienced it. You lose one friend you gain a hundred friends better than the one that was lost.
It is not worth counting the cost, because the cost will always seem so much greater than the benefit that cannot be seen yet. Taking us into the Hebrews definition of faith.
Now faith is the assurance of thing hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
If we could see in advance what are the benefits of following Christ it might be worth counting the cost soe we can measure the risk, though there is no real risk, except that we might die because of our belief. There would not be any need for faith. The Bible says that we are called to faith. It takes faith to take up our cross and follow Jesus. If we look back while carrying the cross we will stumble. We stumble in our thoughts and actions. We lose sight of where we are supposed to be going, and freeze.
Blessings to you who read this
Charlie
