Counting the Cost

Luke 14

I have to admit it.  Sometimes I read the words of Jesus, and I think to myself this doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun; verses 25 – 33 on the cost of discipleship is one of those times.  The term discipleship refers to being a lifelong follower, pupil, or learner.  In terms of following Jesus as a disciple it means we pattern our life after His.  We say yes to Jesus and no to anything outside His teachings.  We say “oh that’s what you say about relationships, than I’m going to do that.  That’s what you teach about forgiveness, than I’m going to forgive that way.  That’s what you say about finances, than that’s how I’m going to handle my money.”  It’s all in.  In today’s passage Jesus tells us to count the cost.  To know what it is we are getting into.  

In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship” one of his most famous lines is When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.  It’s typically not a literal death, it’s a death to self.  It’s about saying I’m no longer going to do things my way, I’m doing things His way.  And there’s always a cost.  For us in America it could have to do with friendships or reputation, or maybe some might lose their job or not get a job in the first place because of their faith.  In other parts of the world the cost can be far greater.

Depending on which translation you’re reading it may have also said you have to hate your family to be Christ’s disciple.  A more accurate reading would be that you must love your family less than Christ.  I try to keep my life priorities in the following order; God, family, and work.  Seeing how my work is being a Pastor which has a thing or two to do with God, and my family is deeply involved in our church, those lines of priority can sometimes get blurred. But I think you get what I mean.  If God is not first then all the rest starts to fall apart.  Being a disciple and counting the cost is not always easy, but it’s big time worth it.  It’s ultimately what leads to the abundant life Jesus has promised through Him.  Or as Bonhoeffer put it, “it gives a man the only true life.”  

Prayer

Dear God help me to love you first and to love you most.  Amen.