Luke 14:25-30 says, And there were great multitudes with him and he turned, and said unto them, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Whosoever does not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he have enough to complete it? Lest haply, when he hath laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all that behold begin to mock him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish.” Jesus is telling us that if we desire to follow him, we must calculate the cost and make sure we are willing to make the lifelong commitment to becoming a Christian and are willing to pay that cost. It is not that we can’t afford to pay the price, but are we willing to pay the price of following the Lord? It means giving up the love of worldly processions and commit ourselves to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind (Matt. 22:37). I think many, if not most of us, did not realize what the cost would be when we obeyed the gospel. What we did do was make a commitment to follow Christ wherever he might lead and at whatever the cost. We must commit to surrender our will to his as we learn more of what he would have us to do and be. We must commit to having a personal relationship with God. That means we must regularly communicate with our Creator, for one cannot have a meaningful relationship with one whom we do not talk. If we did not talk with our husbands or wives, we could not possibly have much of a relationship with them. Prayer is the means by which we give thanks, express our thoughts, feelings, and needs to the Heavenly Father. We need to talk to God and he desires us to talk to him. He tells us to “pray without ceasing” (I Thess 5:17). “I exhort therefor, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men” (I Tim. 2:1). To study and learn God’s word is a must for the Christian, for is how God speaks to us of his will and commandments for our life here on this earth. Another cost of being a disciple of Christ is bringing lost souls, that do not know him, into the fold of our Savior. Jesus tells us, “Go ye therefor and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:19,20). There is no doubt there is a cost to being a Christian, but compared to the immeasurable price Jesus paid on the cross for us, it is indeed miniscule. He gave up his precious life for us and he expects no less than we commit our life to him in return. Not long ago I had a life altering experience that made me realize just how fragile this life is and how quick it can be over. I sincerely urge you to count the cost today and take up your cross and follow Jesus, for tomorrow could be eternally too late. Your reward will be without measure, in heaven, for all eternity.

We invite all who would to come together with a local congregation of the Church of Christ and worship God in spirit and in truth. If you have questions please call, 657-2455 or 755-2005