Counting the Cost
- Luke 14:28–30 – “Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost?” Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?”
- Luke 9:57–62 – “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
- These verses demand consideration and meditation. Jesus’ examples of the tower builder and king at war are both examples that are supposed to make us consider what discipleship is all about. In the first example, a builder wants to build a tower. It will cost money to do this and so he must figure out exactly what it will cost and if he has the means to do so. If not, there will only be half a tower sitting where a mighty tower should have been and ridicule is sure to come. The gleamingly obvious application here is that there is a cost to discipleship. As discussed earlier, there is a sacrifice of priorities, wealth, status, possibly even relationships if it comes to that to truly follow Jesus. Being a disciple of Jesus takes sacrifice because not everyone decides to follow Jesus, it is a less beaten path and a hard way of life (Matthew 7:13-14).
- These verses demand consideration and meditation. Jesus’ examples of the tower builder and king at war are both examples that are supposed to make us consider what discipleship is all about. In the first example, a builder wants to build a tower. It will cost money to do this and so he must figure out exactly what it will cost and if he has the means to do so. If not, there will only be half a tower sitting where a mighty tower should have been and ridicule is sure to come. The gleamingly obvious application here is that there is a cost to discipleship. As discussed earlier, there is a sacrifice of priorities, wealth, status, possibly even relationships if it comes to that to truly follow Jesus. Being a disciple of Jesus takes sacrifice because not everyone decides to follow Jesus, it is a less beaten path and a hard way of life (Matthew 7:13-14).
Dependence on God Through Prayer
Luke 11:1–4; 18:1–8 | John 15:7 – “If you abide in me… ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
➤ What does it mean to abide in Jesus? The Greek word means to “remain, continue in presence of”. To abide in Jesus means we continue to remain in his love and his presence which is the Holy Spirit. We continue to live with the presence of the Spirit. We receive a blessing if we live in Him and that blessing is the ability to ask for gifts from above. This does not mean we receive whatever we ask., but we are able to receive what is in accordance with His will for our lives. A disciple of Jesus remains in the love of Jesus and in His Spirit and we bear the fruit of the Spirit, meaning we show evidence that the Spirit lives in us by how we act and live.
basics-of-faith.com 
Leave a Reply