Luke 14:25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost.

Jesus boldly invited people to not only follow Him but also to sacrifice for Him and His mission. He was not afraid of someone realizing how much this journey may cost them personally. Jesus instructed those who wanted to follow Him to count the cost first.

I have been following Jesus most of my life. However, I have discovered that in different seasons of my life, I have to count the cost again. Following Jesus is a journey and each leg of the voyage requires more faith, moves us further from our comfort zone, and causes us to count the cost again.

Jesus was not afraid to tell His disciples in the past to count the cost. Jesus is not afraid of us counting the cost today. I believe He encourages us to count the cost each time we enter a new season. By counting the cost before you begin a season, you are reminded of a few of these things:

• Counting the cost keeps you focused on the things that matter most to Jesus.
• Counting the cost allows you to sacrifice with confidence that what you give will make a difference.
• Counting the cost allows you to persevere when the journey gets hard.
• Counting the cost instills confidence that what you are doing will be rewarded by Jesus.

Today’s Challenge: If you have been following Jesus a long time, then maybe it is time to count the cost again. You will always find Jesus worthy of sacrifice, faithful to His Word, and present in your circumstance. Continue counting the cost and keep following Jesus today.