Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? "Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' "Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? "Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. "So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions. "Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? "It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." - Luke 14:25-35 NASU

We say yes, way too soon. We say yes before counting the cost. When we do this, we faint and fail to reap a harvest. We overestimate ourselves and underestimate the situation, circumstance, or opportunities.

Let me tell you the cost of things worthy of our pursuit. It will cost more money than predicted and more time than you counted on.

If it is a worthy endeavor, it is going to cost. If it is something from God that He wants you to accomplish, then it is impossible for you to do it in your ability and strength. The cost is more than you can afford. Does this mean giving up and walking away? No, this means that you have counted the cost and are ready for the unexpected and delays, knowing that you will reap at the end of your endeavor if you faint not.

This statement, count this cost, is about surrendering to Jesus's Lordship. When we first commit to the free gift of salvation, we don't understand the agreement of total surrender. We tend to think we need a little Jesus in the hard times, but we think we are sufficient in our wisdom and strength at other times.

If we want to overcome and make it to the end with a full pardon and great reward, then we must commit to go the distance and surrender anything asked of us. Salvation is a free gift of the grace of God and cannot be purchased. But rewards to be given will cost us everything as we submit to the Lordship of Jesus. We are bought at a price. We are not our own. Yet we fail to allow Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, to finish the work of God in us because we didn't count the cost.