Counting The True Cost
"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?" - Luke 14:28
Jesus never sugar-coated the reality of following Him. In a culture that often presents faith as a pathway to personal prosperity and comfort, His words cut through the illusion with startling clarity. True discipleship comes with a price tag that many are unwilling to pay. But for those who understand what they're receiving in return, no cost is too great.
The tower Jesus speaks of isn't just any building—it's a watchtower, a structure built for protection and vigilance. In ancient times, these towers required significant investment because they served a crucial purpose: they provided security for entire communities. The person who built a tower wasn't just investing in their own safety; they were taking responsibility for the welfare of others.
This metaphor reveals something profound about the cost of discipleship. When we choose to follow Jesus, we're not just making a personal decision that affects only us. We're taking on the responsibility of being watchmen and watch-women in our communities, our workplaces, our families. We're committing to stand guard against injustice, to sound the alarm when we see oppression, and to provide refuge for those who are vulnerable.
Consider the story of David, a successful attorney who felt called to leave his lucrative corporate law practice to work with immigrants seeking asylum. His friends thought he had lost his mind. His income dropped by seventy percent. He had to sell his house, move his family to a smaller apartment, and explain to his children why they couldn't afford the private school they had attended. But David had counted the cost and decided that building towers of justice was worth more than building towers of wealth.
Three years later, David's legal clinic had helped over 200 families find safety in America. His children, rather than resenting the sacrifice, had learned Spanish so they could help translate for clients. His marriage had grown stronger as he and his wife worked together toward a shared mission. The tower he had built wasn't made of stone and mortar—it was made of hope, justice, and transformed lives.
But Jesus's warning about counting the cost isn't meant to discourage us—it's meant to prepare us. He wants us to understand that discipleship isn't a part-time hobby or a spiritual accessory to our "real" lives. It's a complete restructuring of our priorities, relationships, and resources. It's choosing to invest in the kingdom of God rather than the kingdoms of this world.
The cost of discipleship includes our comfort, our reputation, our financial security, and sometimes even our relationships. It means choosing to love our enemies instead of defeating them. It means sharing our resources with those who have less instead of accumulating more for ourselves. It means speaking truth even when it's unpopular, standing with the marginalized even when it's costly, and pursuing peace even when conflict seems easier.
But here's what Jesus wants us to understand: the cost of not following Him is far greater than the cost of discipleship. The cost of living for ourselves is a life of emptiness. The cost of pursuing worldly success is spiritual bankruptcy. The cost of ignoring injustice is complicity in oppression.
When we truly count the cost, we realize that everything we give up for the sake of the kingdom pales in comparison to what we receive. We gain purpose, community, hope, and the assurance that our lives matter in the grand story of redemption.
Father, help us count the cost honestly and choose wisely. Give us the courage to build towers of justice, even when it requires sacrifice. Show us that what we give up for Your kingdom is nothing compared to what we gain. Make us wise builders who invest in what lasts forever. Amen.
Jesus never sugar-coated the reality of following Him. In a culture that often presents faith as a pathway to personal prosperity and comfort, His words cut through the illusion with startling clarity. True discipleship comes with a price tag that many are unwilling to pay. But for those who understand what they're receiving in return, no cost is too great.
The tower Jesus speaks of isn't just any building—it's a watchtower, a structure built for protection and vigilance. In ancient times, these towers required significant investment because they served a crucial purpose: they provided security for entire communities. The person who built a tower wasn't just investing in their own safety; they were taking responsibility for the welfare of others.
This metaphor reveals something profound about the cost of discipleship. When we choose to follow Jesus, we're not just making a personal decision that affects only us. We're taking on the responsibility of being watchmen and watch-women in our communities, our workplaces, our families. We're committing to stand guard against injustice, to sound the alarm when we see oppression, and to provide refuge for those who are vulnerable.
Consider the story of David, a successful attorney who felt called to leave his lucrative corporate law practice to work with immigrants seeking asylum. His friends thought he had lost his mind. His income dropped by seventy percent. He had to sell his house, move his family to a smaller apartment, and explain to his children why they couldn't afford the private school they had attended. But David had counted the cost and decided that building towers of justice was worth more than building towers of wealth.
Three years later, David's legal clinic had helped over 200 families find safety in America. His children, rather than resenting the sacrifice, had learned Spanish so they could help translate for clients. His marriage had grown stronger as he and his wife worked together toward a shared mission. The tower he had built wasn't made of stone and mortar—it was made of hope, justice, and transformed lives.
But Jesus's warning about counting the cost isn't meant to discourage us—it's meant to prepare us. He wants us to understand that discipleship isn't a part-time hobby or a spiritual accessory to our "real" lives. It's a complete restructuring of our priorities, relationships, and resources. It's choosing to invest in the kingdom of God rather than the kingdoms of this world.
The cost of discipleship includes our comfort, our reputation, our financial security, and sometimes even our relationships. It means choosing to love our enemies instead of defeating them. It means sharing our resources with those who have less instead of accumulating more for ourselves. It means speaking truth even when it's unpopular, standing with the marginalized even when it's costly, and pursuing peace even when conflict seems easier.
But here's what Jesus wants us to understand: the cost of not following Him is far greater than the cost of discipleship. The cost of living for ourselves is a life of emptiness. The cost of pursuing worldly success is spiritual bankruptcy. The cost of ignoring injustice is complicity in oppression.
When we truly count the cost, we realize that everything we give up for the sake of the kingdom pales in comparison to what we receive. We gain purpose, community, hope, and the assurance that our lives matter in the grand story of redemption.
Father, help us count the cost honestly and choose wisely. Give us the courage to build towers of justice, even when it requires sacrifice. Show us that what we give up for Your kingdom is nothing compared to what we gain. Make us wise builders who invest in what lasts forever. Amen.
Subscribe Now for Free Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2026
January
When God Feels Silent but is Still at WorkHow to Rebound After a Crushing LetdownWhen Your World Falls Apart After You Did Everything RightGod Is Still Building Roads in the DesertThe Chapter That Comes After TraumaWhen Hope Feels GoneWhen Your Words Start Working Against YouGod’s Resume Is Bigger Than Your SituationWaiting on God is Not Doing NothingBefore Circumstances ChangeGetting In Your Bag When Life Feels UnfairWinning With a Bad HandOverlooked, Insulted, and Still ChosenPrepared in the Field Before the Giant AppearsYou Were Trained for This MomentTaking Off Armor That Does Not FitFormed in the Field, Not on the StageWhen the Battle Is Not Actually YoursWhen You Feel the Urge to Go Through God’s PhoneFaith After Disappointment Still CountsKeep Showing Up Even When You Are ConfusedLocked Doors Do Not Stop JesusWhen You Need an Encounter for YourselfDoubt as a DoorwaySaying What Hurts When God Is in the RoomWhere Faith and Fear CollideShutdown Does Not Mean FinishedWhen Opposition Shows Up Mid-ProgressBuilding Without Responding to the MockeryA Mind to Work in the Middle of WearinessThe Wall Rose Because the People Did Not Quit
February
When Faith Blocks the ViewThe Cost of Carrying the CrossPower Was Never the PointGod Meets You Where You AreFaith That Chooses People Over ProfitWhen the Cross Loses Its MeaningClearing the View So Christ Can Be SeenWhen Worry Becomes a Way of LifeGod Is Not Surprised by Bad LeadershipWhen God Writes on the WallGod Controls the ClockGod Is Watching the ScaleWhen God Writes the EndingYou Do Not Have to Carry This AloneWhen Life Feels Like a JungleWhat You Are Leaning On MattersPeace Comes From the InsideRemember What God Has Already DoneProtecting Your Peace on PurposeWhen You Have to Say It Out LoudTrust Is a Long GameWhen Joy Breaks ContainmentGod Shows Up in Hard SeasonsKeep Moving When Everything Says StopGet Ready for What You Are Praying ForFaith That Is Willing to WorkWorship Is How We Acknowledge God’s HandDarkness Does Not Decide the Outcome
March
The Foundation Of JusticeEyes Wide OpenThe Heart Of CompassionLiving The BeatitudesThe Power Of CommunityBreaking Chains Of DebtCelebrating Small VictoriesThe Widow's Offering ReimaginedThe Good Samaritan's EconomicsTurning TablesThe Rich Young Ruler's ChoiceStrength In UnityThe Parable Of The WorkersBreaking Bread TogetherThe Prophetic VoiceLove In ActionThe Least Of TheseSabbath JusticeThe Persistent WidowWelcoming The StrangerThe Year Of JubileeFaith Without WorksBuilding On RockThe Mission ContinuesInvesting In EternitySeeds Of FaithLiving In The Shadow Of The CrossCounting The True Cost
2025
January
Plenty of RoomThankful for Your SeatWho God Invites to the TableThat’s the PointWe Do Not Have a Monopoly on GodStop Talking So LoudLet God Handle the Guest ListA Long-Awaited ReunionSeeing Jesus for YourselfIn Possession of a Personal PromiseGet in the Right PositionReady to ReceiveAligning Your Life for God's Promise
No Comments