Word@Work Luke237 - Luke 14:28-30
Published: Thu, 11/18/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
INTENTIONAL DISCIPLESHIP
Luke 14:28-30 "Suppose one of you wants to build a 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 who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' (NIV)
Robert Louis Stevenson, the 19th Century Scottish author, wrote: "to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive". He expressed an idea which many people still think, believing that life can only be a journey of exploration, because there is no certain end point. However Jesus spoke very differently. He looked forwards confidently to the completion of the Kingdom of Heaven; He knew it well, because He came from it and would return there (John 8:14).
In this parable, Jesus said that effective discipleship must be intentional and thought-through, based on the confidence that Jesus would complete what He had started. The man who builds a tower must have a plan so that he can be prepared for the cost of completing the work. Failure to finish the tower would invite ridicule, showing that the builder did not know what he was taking on. He might be an adventurer, but he should not be trusted as an engineer or builder
All those who follow Jesus can be confident: the destination is completely known to Him, and He can be the trusted to ensure that we will get there (John 14:6). However there is a cost. The greatest price was paid by the blood of Christ, securing access into heaven: but the cost of discipleship is ours, as we leave other ways to follow The Way. And that is best considered at the outset. However, as heaven is a certainty and Jesus is a totally trustworthy guide, His followers can gladly commit themselves to discipleship whatever the cost. Those who are born again by the Spirit of God have a confident hope which sustains them until they reach their eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Prayer: Father God. Thank You for not leaving me to muddle hopelessly through life wondering if I will be good enough for Your presence. I know that I am not good enough but I do trust in the sacrifice of Jesus who died to be punished for my badness, so that I might be given Your righteousness. Thank You that I can be confident of heaven, and that Jesus leads me every day until the journey is completed. In the meantime, please help me to think-through the cost of following Jesus so that I am even willing to bear the hostility of others, knowing that You will not be ashamed of me on the Final Day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Robert Louis Stevenson, the 19th Century Scottish author, wrote: "to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive". He expressed an idea which many people still think, believing that life can only be a journey of exploration, because there is no certain end point. However Jesus spoke very differently. He looked forwards confidently to the completion of the Kingdom of Heaven; He knew it well, because He came from it and would return there (John 8:14).
In this parable, Jesus said that effective discipleship must be intentional and thought-through, based on the confidence that Jesus would complete what He had started. The man who builds a tower must have a plan so that he can be prepared for the cost of completing the work. Failure to finish the tower would invite ridicule, showing that the builder did not know what he was taking on. He might be an adventurer, but he should not be trusted as an engineer or builder
All those who follow Jesus can be confident: the destination is completely known to Him, and He can be the trusted to ensure that we will get there (John 14:6). However there is a cost. The greatest price was paid by the blood of Christ, securing access into heaven: but the cost of discipleship is ours, as we leave other ways to follow The Way. And that is best considered at the outset. However, as heaven is a certainty and Jesus is a totally trustworthy guide, His followers can gladly commit themselves to discipleship whatever the cost. Those who are born again by the Spirit of God have a confident hope which sustains them until they reach their eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Prayer: Father God. Thank You for not leaving me to muddle hopelessly through life wondering if I will be good enough for Your presence. I know that I am not good enough but I do trust in the sacrifice of Jesus who died to be punished for my badness, so that I might be given Your righteousness. Thank You that I can be confident of heaven, and that Jesus leads me every day until the journey is completed. In the meantime, please help me to think-through the cost of following Jesus so that I am even willing to bear the hostility of others, knowing that You will not be ashamed of me on the Final Day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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