What does “counting the cost” mean to you? At first glance, it looks to some as keeping tabs on your budget. Some may see “counting the cost” as opportunity risk.
Opportunity risk is weighing the value of one choice or course of action. There is always a sacrifice necessary to make in order to obtain the goal of said choice or course of action chosen. This language is often applied to business or financial decisions. You can weigh the opportunity risk in almost every decision you make in almost any area of life.
Everything we say YES or NO to has an opportunity risk to evaluate. Over the years, I have learned there are two ways to count the cost of my yes’s and my no’s.
- What will I get if I do this? (reward)
- What do I lose if I don’t do this? (regret)
Referencing the previous article, when I found the designer hand bags I loved at a discounted rate, the cost was easy to say yes for the reward. When I couldn’t find the designer bag I was searching for at a discounted rate, I had to weigh the cost of paying full price. That forced me to weigh the opportunity risk and the “what if I walk away and don’t get it because it’s too expensive?” At the end of the day, I knew I would always regret not getting it while i had the opportunity.
It was worth the cost to pay full price.
Let’s talk about the cost of following Jesus. I believe the most basic, fundamental requirement for stepping into eternity – into the Kingdom of Heaven – is to simply believe. Salvation itself is free to believe. If you believe Jesus is who he said he is, that’s it. You’re in. [John 11:25-26]. There is, however, a difference between believing in Jesus and following Jesus. Following Jesus can be expensive.
Following requires action.
To follow Jesus will look different for every individual. This is why when one asked Jesus what do I need to do to follow you, he was told “let the dead bury the dead” [Luke 9:57-60]. When another asked Jesus the same question he replied “Give everything you have away and come follow me” [Matthew 19:16-22]. For these two men, the cost of their yes was too high to pay. I wonder how much more expensive the price of their no was.
Have you ever counted the cost of your “yes” to following Jesus? Have you ever asked the Lord what your reward will be if you give him your yes? Have you ever asked him what you’ll lose if you don’t? Even Jesus got a reward for following his Father’s will.
I believe the worst night of Jesus’s life wasn’t on the cross. I don’t think it was the torment he endured, or actual death. I believe that most difficulty Jesus ever faced was in The Garden of Gethsemane [Luke 22:39-44]. We all get free will to make our own choices. We all get to choose.
Even Jesus weighed the cost of his yes, and the expense of his no.
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