Daily Play Call #80
27 Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after (follow) Me cannot be My disciple.
28 For which of you, wishing to build a farm building, does not first sit down and calculate the cost [to see] whether he has sufficient means to finish it?
29 Otherwise, when he has laid the foundation and is unable to complete [the building], all who see it will begin to mock and jeer at him,
30 Saying, This man began to build and was not able (worth enough) to finish.
Luke 14:27-30 AMPC
Count the Cost
In Luke 14, Jesus is talking about counting the cost of being His disciple. When anyone decides to follow Jesus, it will cost them something. It will first cost us the fleshly desires because we must deny ourselves and no longer live in sin. 2nd, it can cost us money, our jobs, family, and friends.
As a follower of Jesus, I have turned down multiple jobs where I could have been a millionaire. I turned it down because it was not God's will for me to work those jobs. The main reason was the Lord had a different route for me. Also, one of those jobs would have caused me to live a life contrary to my faith. I could not compromise.
When I train athletes, I preach the Gospel and also pray with them. Some people have stopped training with me simply because they felt that I talked about Jesus too much. In my training, I would incorporate the Word of God.
I would say, "The cones are the Gates to the Kingdom of Heaven and Jesus says to strive to enter in the narrow gate. Don't run to the gates of Heaven, run through them." This would help the athlete learn to run past the cones and not just to the cones and slow down before they get there. I would also say, "Your adversary the devil is roaming around as a lion seeking whom he may devour. If there was a lion behind you, you would run with everything you had to get to safety which is on the other side of the Gates of Heaven. Work hard and don't slow down. Give tremendous effort!"
I also had to walk away from being a youth pastor because I was no longer allowed to teach ALL of the commands of Jesus and some topics that Paul addressed. Parents sent emails and had meetings with the pastor complaining about what was being taught.
Living for Jesus will cost you something. Count the cost and consider whether or not you are able to handle what you must give up for the Lord.
A majority of the time it can bring financial hardship which is difficult. But if a person has their security in Jesus and continues to DO the Word of God, they will be happy regardless of their situation.
17 If you know these things, blessed and happy and to be envied are you if you practice them [if you act accordingly and really do them].
John 13:17 AMPC
12 Indeed all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted and godly life in Christ Jesus will meet with persecution [will be made to suffer because of their religious stand].
2 Timothy 3:12 AMPC