COUNT THE COST

Lu 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

The cost of traveling has certainly gone up. Gas prices have gone to unbelievable highs and we find ourselves searching the signs to see who has the cheapest prices. It would certainly be foolish to start on a long trip and not take the cost of gas into account. We would eventually find ourselves stranded somewhere with an empty tank.
As we journey through life on our Christian walk sometimes we fail to count the cost and we wind up feeling stranded with our spiritual tank completely empty.
Serving Christ never comes without sacrifice. We must first sacrifice our own desires and submit to the will of God. That might seem like a great sacrifice at first but God will never ask you to give up anything that He does not give you something better.
If we do not sacrifice time we seem to waste it. The time you spend in prayer and in Bible study is never wasted. If you are willing to pay the price of giving God the time it takes to get to know Him and become close to Him your spiritual tank will not be empty. If you take the time and trouble to share Christ with others you will have no less of Him but will have an even closer relationship with Him.
You are probably familiar with the Dead Sea. It is fed by pure clean water which flows in but doesn't have an outlet. The only way for the water to get out is through evaporation. The water that is left behind is filled with minerals and eventually the water is unable to sustain life, thus the name.
Many Christians never count the cost of only receiving and not sharing. They go to church, they hear the sermons and the singing and it flows into them clean, clear and brimming with life. They then go out into the world and none of it flows out.The cost of that is spiritual stagnation.
God has blessed each of us greatly. We must pass along those blessings to others. The cost of keeping them to ourselves is much too great.
Note: These devotionals are a way of sharing God's blessings with others. If you receive a blessing from them you can help to share them with others by sending them along to those you know or by telling others how to get them. shilohbaptist.blogspot.com.
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