Count the Cost

I remember sitting in one of my undergraduate classes years ago, and the class was discussing discipleship. Specifically, we were talking about evangelism and how we communicate what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. I recall one gentleman who cited the words of Jesus – “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” (Luke 14:26, ESV). I was a young believer at the time, just hired on staff at a church (first one) and thinking – man, I can’t say that to a person on a Sunday morning! However, as I heard the discussion with our teacher, it was apparent (and, of course, valid) – that this is the kind of devotion our Lord wants from His followers. Jesus is our priority relationship; it dictates how we live and precedes everything. Does this mean we neglect those around us? Of course not. The hope is we love Jesus in such a way that our unbelieving family members and others around us take notice and want to know more about this deep devotion.

In the Old Testament, we read about a woman who showed this denial that foreshadowed Jesus’ lesson on discipleship. Ruth was willing to abandon family, familiar grounds, and religious affiliations to become a worshiper of the One true God (Ruth 1:16- 18). She counted the cost (v.17), and so should we (Luke 14:28).