Counting the Cost

Tucked deep within a small midwestern town, there once laid the beginnings of a dreamy resort escape. Driving down a secluded road, you were transported from common life into a grand luxury. The monumental size of the campus captures your attention, a shocking existence hidden within a serene forest. Building after building after building stands like a portrait frozen in time, boasting of what was to come, unfinished by the artist. 

In a generation before my own, a big time developer had purchased and built upon the acres, but ultimately caved to foreclosure when finances ran out. Legend says he put a curse upon the property. If he couldn’t open the resort, no one would. And no one did.

I remember visiting the resort only a few times. Ghost stories of flickering lights and shadowy figures taunted my mind as I walked through the darkness of the old buildings. I could only imagine what the resort would have otherwise become, had it been brought to completion. But no one will ever know.

This particular place always captured my attention because it reminded me of a warning Jesus gave to his followers:

“For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’” Luke 14:28-30

I had walked through the remains of a real life example.

Yet if we could go back in time, I think we would find cost counting. I think we would find calculations and planning, and I know we would look upon the resume of subdivisions and accomplishments the developer possessed. But construction didn’t follow original plans. The cost, ultimately, outweighed the count.

Like the developer who began the construction, I think a lot of us Americans can begin Christianity assuming we can handle it. We’re ready for a new life, we’ve accepted forgiveness, and we’ve skimmed the 10 commandments confessing our allegiance to do our best. But if we are honestly walking in surrender, I think we come to a point, probably multiple points, at which we see the cost outweigh the count. I didn’t think I’d be expected to do this… we lament. 

Sacrifice, forgiveness, self denial, turning our cheeks from insult and continuing to do good to the people around us that we simply can not stand – it’s so hard. And yet in many ways, it’s embarrassing to address while brothers and sisters around the world are willingly claiming their faith at risk and reality of being pulled from their homes, imprisoned, and tortured.

Our stories are all different, but God still sees us all. He cares for us all. And he is serious about his call.

No matter what, we have to recognize we don’t get a new life without giving up the old. We don’t ascribe glory to Jesus on the throne if we aren’t willing to get off it ourselves. We can never serve two masters.

Christianity has been molded into such a comfortable religion, I fear we don’t always see our instinct to keep one foot on each side of the fence. We care so much about convenience, we freely give up time in the Word, in prayer, or attending church in person because it doesn’t fit our schedule. We’re shocked when God begins to pull a comfort from our hands let alone when he asks us to release it willingly. We rationalize convictions from the Spirit. 

But what do we possibly think we are building when we leave out the solid, eternal foundation? 

Even so, surrendering to the Lord is terrifying. What if we can’t actually do it? If our family, our lives were really on the line, would we fearfully renounce our faith? I hope not. But I also know God never leaves us to walk alone. He doesn’t tell us to strengthen ourselves, to use our own power. He promises to be our ever present help. Our refuge, our shield.

Only one person ever really, truly understood the cost he was asked to pay when committing to a life of obedience to the Father, a cost greater than life itself. 

“One Christian in India, while being skinned alive, looked at his persecutors and said, ‘I thank you for this…’ Did these men and women in Christian history have more courage than Christ himself?… We can rest assured that (Jesus) was not a coward about to face Roman soldiers. Instead he was a Savior about to endure divine wrath.” – Radical, David Platt 

And Jesus still said yes.

If the wrath of God poured out on Christ instead of us doesn’t move us to sacrifice, doesn’t move us to give beyond what’s comfortable and easy, then we dare not move from the Gospel message. We are so valuable to the Lord that he would rather die than have us die. We can trust his guidance. And we go wherever he calls, because he has already demonstrated his love and his power. 

He is only and forever worthy.

Recent research advises all resort buildings are now gone. Nothing is left but a handful of trails and a memory of what used to be, what could have been. We can anticipate the same for our own lives if we hold on to it. Like vapor in the wind, nothing will remain.

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Worship: Worth It All

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