COUNTING THE COST - PART 1

It is my firm belief that the bible is replete with counsel which if applied in life, would definitely make one very wise and successful. Unfortunately, to many believers, the bible remains a mystery: a book which we barely understand because we do not study it. Jesus explained to His disciples, that He spoke in parables so that some people will not understand so they do not receive the treasure hidden therein and reserved for believers. He said however, that the disciples ought to understand because the treasures in the bible are not hidden from them. 

Luke 14: 28 “For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?”

God is in this scripture admonishing us to count the cost before we take a responsibility or make actualize our decisions. Counting the cost includes thinking through the price you have to pay and the possible consequences of the decision. As believers, we need to do all the research necessary and consider the likely consequences of our actions. Very often, we don’t do this and attribute it all to faith which is usually a lie. What one tends to see, are reckless and irresponsible believers who would rather indulge self by doing whatever they feel like doing when they want to. Unfortunately, when they fail, they blame it on someone else and when there is no one to blame it on, they blame it on God or satan.

Also for those us that often leave things half done, never able to complete anything they start, the scripture is a testament to the fact that it is not a good way of life; and also that the reason that happens is that we did not count the cost in the beginning. In my environment, many of such cases are attributed to the influences of demonic forces. Whilst I agree that sometimes that is the case, it is not always so. If we would count the cost before we set out, the demons may be less able to win the victory over our lives since we may not start on a lot of things we take on and fail. This is wisdom which the bible says is better than weapons of war. Indeed form the tone of the scripture; it would appear that God is amazed when He sees anyone who starts construction without first checking to see if they have enough to complete it. 

Construction here could be anything from a business to marriage, pastoring a church etc. We need to be responsible enough to check that we have enough resources which would include education, money, Holy Spirit or whatever else you need for the particular thing you are building. If you don’t have enough then you must know what you need, how to get it and when to get it.  We have to be responsible. 

Luke 14: 20 “otherwise you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, there is the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!”

When we consistently are unable to complete the things we started, we give people room to make fun of us and we then complain that they are mean. It is not their fault; you gave them room to make fun of you and to hiss whenever your name is mentioned by leaving half-finished projects all over the place. God is saying if you don’t want them to do that to you, then you must begin to act responsibly.