You.

Suppose one of you wants to build the tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone will see it and ridicule him, saying, this fellow began to build and was not able to finish it. Luke 14 verses 28 through 30 there is something to be said for jumping in with both feet. Everyone has heard the expression that he who hesitates is lost. The guy who took his sweet time got to the store to discover that they just sold out of the product he wanted. When the clerk apologized for having sold out, the man replied, well, I guess he who hesitates is lost. There is something to be said about jumping into something without overthinking it. But most of the time a little more thought should be given to the decisions we make about the things we do. The expression fools rush in where angels dare not tread might apply here. After all, faith is not the opposite of reason. Faith is not a license to be reckless or an excuse to be stupid. In fact, faith is not at all incompatible with being smart. And being smart means thinking things through and counting the cost. There's an old story you may have heard about two fishermen who happened to be fishing beside each other on the bank of a river one day. The first fisherman observed with great curiosity that the other fellow would catch a fish, measure it, and throw back any that were bigger than a few inches in length. After a while, the first guy asked the second fellow, why are you only keeping the small fish and throwing the big ones back? Oh, said the second, that's because I only have a small frying pan and the bigger fish won't fit. We may laugh and ask why the second fellow didn't simply buy a bigger pan, but honestly, he was using decent logic. Why take something home that won't fit in his pan? Sure, he could buy a bigger pan, but suppose he couldn't afford one, right? Then what is he supposed to do? Not eat until he can save up enough for a bigger pan? This man had thought things through. He knew the situation. He was smart about dealing with the situation, and he knew when to hold them and when to let them go. Jesus point in Luke 14 was not that we should limit our commitment, nor was he implying that we overthink following after him. The point he was making is simply this. When you make the commitment to follow him, you need to understand what that means, and you must be willing to pay the price.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to [email protected]. Have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.