Count the Cost....

*This message is from Greg Laurie w/ Harvest Ministries

Mean It

"But don't begin until you count the cost. . . ."

— Luke 14:28


Have you ever made an impulse purchase? Have you ever bought something you didn't need? I have. My wife has sent me to the grocery store to get some eggs, and I have come home with several bags full of stuff. Why? Because I was hungry when I went to the store and, as a result, bought some things on impulse.

A lot of us have acted impulsively in life. However, Jesus doesn't want us to follow Him on impulse. He wants us to count the cost. He wants us to mean it.

We find this illustrated in Luke 9, when someone approached Jesus and said, "I will follow you no matter where you go" (v. 57).

We would think that in response to such a statement, Jesus would have turned to the disciples and said, "Did you guys hear that? This is the kind of attitude I am looking for." But Jesus didn't say that. Jesus didn't even say, "Come on! The more the merrier!" Instead, Jesus responded, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head" (v. 58).

What was Jesus saying? In essence, it was, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I want you to think about this. You want to follow Me wherever I go, but do you know where I'm going? Right now, I am going to Jerusalem. I am going to die on a cross. Are you ready to follow Me? Are you ready to count the cost? Think about it."

Jesus wants people who have counted the cost and are His true followers. Can that be said of you today?