Count the Costs

Count the Costs

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?... So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:28, 31, 33 (NKJV)

Jesus is pretty clear in this passage about what it takes to follow Him. He doesn’t sugarcoat the consequences of being His disciple. Since Jesus’ resurrection, Christians have been persecuted and martyred worldwide. In modern America, we’ve erroneously embraced the idea that we’re immune to such persecution. This has changed within the last few years. Christians are a minority, and our beliefs are ridiculed as old fashioned and intolerant. Though expected to show tolerance to groups who hold different belief systems, we’re not shown the same tolerance.

As I mentioned in last week’s post, God’s nature is consistent throughout the Bible and history. He established the definition of marriage between one woman and one man in Genesis 2:24 and reaffirmed in the New Testament in Matthew 19:4-6. God established the definition of murder in Genesis 9:6 and the consequences therein. Yet marriage is being threatened in this country while we wink at the legal murder of 3,000 babies a day.

It doesn’t stop there. Collateral damage exists in the form of defining a viable baby. Do you realize most states have an age of viability for pre-term babies they will extend “extraordinary medical care?” You might be surprised how many weeks this is and which politicians have pushed such bills. 

The legal right to an abortion is not really about protecting women's choice, folks. The women seeking abortions are afforded choice but not the mothers who fight for the life of their pre-term live babies.

These are examples of social issues impacting society, the church, and our future as a nation, as well as slow erosion within the body of Christ supporting basic Biblical principles.

The day after the U.S. Presidential election, as I spent time in prayer, God spoke to my heart about a new blog. He gave me the title, “Count The Costs.” I logged onto Google blogger to register it and the URL was available. The blog’s mission will be to highlight and discuss social issues and current events within the framework of Christianity.

I opened this post with Jesus’ words. As Christians, we must count the costs of how we live, what we model for the world, and the battles we choose to wage. No matter how involved you are (or aren’t), the costs continue to mount for Christians and society.

Please consider stopping by and checking out Count The Costs next Monday, November 26, as we go live. We’ll begin with a two-part series, “The Consequences of Idols in the Church,” by Mike Gonzalez, Senior Pastor of Columbia World Outreach Church in South Carolina. If you are inspired by what you read, please consider becoming a follower or email subscriber. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

A Word of Encouragement will remain the same with weekly prayer posts and occasional writing tips/encouragement intermixed with fun, lighthearted posts like Lessons From Mayberry and Lost? Not Me! Or the time I shared about the death of a childhood friend in The Two Michaels. 

Meanwhile, I’ll return on Wednesday with a Thanksgiving prayer post. If you have any prayer requests you’d like me to share, please email those to me.

God bless,

Laura

© Laura Hodges Poole