January 16, 2020
Luke 14:25-30
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.  And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.  “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?  For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
New International Version (NIV)
 In the little village of Schrollbach, Germany where my family landed in October of 1969 there was a candy store.  In the store were various “Gummi” candies.  Think Gummy Bears in different flavors.   In a new country with different currency, one of the first sentences I learned was, “Wie viel costet?”  “How much does it cost?”  Anyone who has ever run out of money can testify to the importance of the question.

At the apogee of his popularity, Jesus turned and thinned out the crowd.  “Unless I am the most important person in your life you can’t be my disciple,” he explained.  More important than biological family or one’s own life was the commitment to follow Jesus.  Jesus was headed to Calvary and he wanted them to come along.  He further clarified by telling stories about building a tower and going to war.  Either way, one must first count the cost.  “Take up your cross,” he said. 

Remember the old hymn, “Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free?  No there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me."

The point of following Jesus is not just to start well but to finish strongly.  Disciples count the cost before they start because we plan to finish well.  I sense that some of you want a “cost/benefit analysis.”  It costs everything to follow Jesus.  But the benefits are out of this world!    Count the cost, but by all means go all in!
Pray with me:       
Father, as we calculate our commitment today, remind us again how much it cost you to save the world.  Thank you for sending your only Son.  Thank you for his willingness to die on the cross for us.  Help us today to count the cost.  Give us the courage to not only admire Jesus  but follow him all the way to the finish.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.  
Join us in memorizing the Word.  Scripture for this week:    
Matthew 5:5-6
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Our 2020 Every Day with Jesus readings will follow the Foundations New Testament reading plan.  Copies of the reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download your copy at REPLICATE.ORG 
We would love for you to join us as we read the New Testament through this year, five chapters a week.  In addition I will continue my long-standing practice of reading one Psalm a day through the year.  Use Robby Gallaty’s H. E. A. R. plan to study each chapter (also found at REPLICATE.ORG). Highlight verses which speak to you, explain what they mean in your own words in a journal, apply them to your own life, then respond by doing what God tells you to do.  
Joyfully, 
Duane 
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