An All-Inclusive Departure From “Normal”
5.October.2026
Yesterday we looked at what it means to be pricked in the heart, conviction that rises from within and does not need pressure to keep it alive. Today we look at the other side of that coin, because Jesus never wanted anyone to follow Him without knowing exactly what they were agreeing to.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Luke 14:28
Notice that Jesus says sit down first. Nobody builds a tower in a rush of emotion, and nobody who is thinking clearly signs on to a project without understanding what it will require from start to finish. Jesus is not describing hesitation or a lack of faith here. He is describing honesty, someone that looks at the whole thing before saying yes rather than discovering the price halfway through and walking away from a foundation that was never finished.
This is where a bunch of decisions so often goes wrong. A yes that was hastily given in a moment, with soft music and an emotional appeal and no mention of the cost, is a yes that was never actually given the chance to be counted. The person did not lie. They simply were never told what they were signing up for, so what they agreed to was something smaller than what Jesus was actually offering.
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33
That is not a verse any of us would have written, and that is exactly why it matters. Jesus does not say a small part of you, or the parts that are convenient to give up. He says all. Nothing is held back in a drawer marked mine, no corner of life is kept off limits, and no former version of you gets to stay in the house.
Before that sounds like a harsh sentence, it is important to remember Who is saying it. He is the One who already counted the cost on our behalf and paid all of it, without sufficient reason on our side to deserve it. He is not asking us to give up everything for something less valuable. He is asking us to trade everything for everything, and He wants us to see that clearly before we begin, not after.
My pastor closed today’s message with this statement, and it says it better than I can.
“Beloved, to be His disciple will cost you everything; but the return on your investment is everything. It’s worth everything that you ever could give up or have given up.”
A rushed yes tends to fall apart the moment the cost shows up. A counted yes remains, because the person already knew the price and said yes anyway, and that is the kind of yes that turns into a life.
I challenge all of us to sit down and ask this question honestly.
If I had been told the full cost before I first said yes to Jesus, would I have said it, and is there anything I am still holding back in a drawer marked mine?
Make today count and see you tomorrow.
Leave a comment