I have had a question for a while now… ‘What is the cost of following Christ?’. We may have it easy in our country, yet there must be a cost… So let’s first look at the following scripture…
So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you. For who would construct a TOWER (or house) before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it? (Luke 14:28)
Let’s consider the implications of the scripture above… It starts with: “So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you.” Have we really considered what it will cost us, if we follow Christ? So how do we calculate this cost? I hope I can help with this equation… But I will start of saying, decided to follow Christ out of fear of going to hell, may not be the best idea… “Fear of hell” is NOT Fear of the Lord…
Back to the Beginning
So someone once mentioned that if you are looking for some information on certain topics, the best is to go the the first time it is mentioned in the Bible. So when was the first time the Bible tells us about a tower? I believe that is is in the Tower of Babel…
And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)
But what happened at the Tower of Babel that was significant enough to make me believe that there is something important here?
The Cost of the Tower of Babel
Where can I find the cost of the Tower of Babel?
But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:5-9)
Now my question, “What was the real cost of the Tower of Babel?“
Was it really the bricks? The money? Or was the cost much greater? After studying this piece with this cost in mind, I tried to figure out… But no mention of bricks or money… So what was it… Then this question came up: WASN’T THE COST MAYBE THEIR FRIENDS? RELATIONSHIPS? OR EVEN THOSE THEY LOVED MOST?
Before I read Luke 14:28 I had no idea about this. I was with a group of friends trying to figure out what this meant and this came up… The people at the Tower of Bible could not understand each other…
Consequences turned to cost…
So this cost was family and friends… A good way to think of this… So let’s think of ourselves among all our friends and family… And suddenly we can not understand any of them… And they can’t understand each other… What do we do then? This is going to become a very difficult life, not being able to understand anyone of the ones whom are friends and family…
The Tower of Babel could have, and likely would have become one of the world’s greatest inventions… But due to them deciding to not scatter among the world, meaning everyone stayed together, they disobeyed God… And God then scattered them… This is the difference between seeking glory for ourselves, and seeking glory for God… We give God glory by obeying Him, in everything…
Being in one accord
This group of people, in unity, was able to do anything they put their mind to… Here in Genesis 11:6 the Lord said: “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.” Another translation says “…they will be able to do anything“
So they could do anything? Really? How is this possible? The answer is YES, they can do anything… People in unity can change the world for good or for bad, but why do we not see more GOOD happening in the world? Why are we allowing negativity to destroy the world, but we run away for the GOOD? I am not going to go into the UNITY aspect now, but this is an important point…
And in closing
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THE FOLLOWING ON THIS TOPIC…
ARE WE WILLING TO COUNT THE COST FOR GOD, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS?
ARE WE WILLING TO GIVE UP THOSE WHO WE REALLY LOVE AND CARE ABOUT IF GOD SAYS WE HAVE TO?
We are all…
I will praise God… No matter if it goes well or if it goes bad… I have count the cost, and WHATEVER is required, I will do it… No matter what, I will keep on following Christ…
And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
You are amazing… And God loves you
God Bless