It's Just The Normal Noises In Here

A good friend of mine read one of the discussions on my blog a while back. He recently gave me a copy of this devotional. (I don't think he types well enough to blog much) I thought what he gave me was really good, and I've read it several times this week.

I wanted to share it with somebody, so I'm adding it here: (carpel tunnel and all) :)

Luke 14: 25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Some people speak of some problem or pain as bearing their cross. But the cross is something we choose to bear, not something we did not choose. Jesus did not have to die, but He chose to die for the sins of the world. People do not have to bear a cross; it is a voluntary choice. However, it is not separate from our commitment to Christ. Commitment to Christ involves taking up our cross – not only when we first follow Jesus but also daily.

Bearing one’s cross involves a willingness to die for Jesus or to live for Him in an unselfish way. Thus it involves initial commitment and daily practice. Can a person be saved without taking up his cross? This question is debated among evangelical Christians. Some, in an attempt to emphasize salvation by grace, feel that discipleship and crossbearing come as a saved person grows in Christ. Others emphasize verses like those in this lesson in which Jesus seemed to make total commitment necessary for knowing and following Him. Both groups agree that crossbearing is not an optional feature of the Christian life.

Another way to ask the question is, How can Salvation be both free and costly? Salvation from sin and fellowship with the Lord are free of gifts of God’s grace, but making this possible is the cost to God of the death of His Son and the cost to the sinner who must give up his sinful ways. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a book entitled The Cost of Discipleship. He distinguished what he called “cheap grace” from “costly grace.” He wrote that cheap grace is only given intellectual assent to Christian truths. It is the justification of sin rather than the justification of the sinner. Grace is costly because it calls us to follow. And it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son; ye were bought at a price” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us” Bonhoeffer practiced what he preached. He was imprisoned by the Nazis and hanged just before the end of World War II.

Jesus did not want anyone to follow Him without counting the cost. His dealings with the three would-be disciples in Luke 9: 57-62 show this. Jesus now used two short parables to reinforce the cost of following Him. He told of a man who planned to build a tower. In that day people built towers to watch their vineyards or the cities. Jesus said that anyone planning such a tower would determine the cost before building it. He needed to have enough to complete the tower. If the builder failed to count the cost, he could fail to finish it. The unfinished tower would become an embarrassment to the builder.

Jesus’ second parable was about a king, going to make war against another king. The first king had ten thousand soldiers, but he learned that the other king had twenty thousand. The first king must count the cost of doing battle when he would be outnumbered two to one. In many such situation, the first king would seek a diplomatic way to have peace rather than war.

Both parables emphasize the need for people to count the cost before following Him. As in Luke 9, Jesus’ goal was not to discourage anyone from following Him; to the contrary, he hoped they would count the cost and be willing to pay it.

Following Christ is costly from a sinners’ point of view. Verse 33 repeats the cost: “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” As you think about the high cost of following Jesus, keep two things in mind. For one thing, we receive far more than we give up. Paul wrote: “Everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.” Second, considering the cost of following Christ, don’t forget the cost of not following him. People who choose not to follow Christ miss the way to abundant and eternal life and reap a harvest of separation from God here and heareafter.

What are the lasting lessons in Luke 14: 25-33
1. Christ’s followers take up their crosses daily to follow Him.
2. Before following Christ, people should count the cost and then pay it.
3. Whatever price we pay to follow Him is less than the reward we will receive
4. People who refuse to follow Jesus also pay a terrible price.