Morning by Morning—Daily Prayer Journey with Tommy Hays: Time to "Count the Cost"

Tuesday, May 05, 2020

Time to "Count the Cost" - Morning by Morning, May 5, 2020

Morning by Morning, May 5 - Time to "Count the Cost"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Be high and lifted up, here in my heart and here in my world today. ...

"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? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish'" (Luke 14:28-30).

As many have seen and said, there's a time of great advance ahead, a time of great harvest to come. We're excited and we're praying we'll be ready!

But part of being ready is taking time to count the cost. A builder must count the cost before he builds. Just as a commander of an army must count the cost before he goes into battle (v. 31-23). And a disciple must count the cost before he can say with sincerity and whole-hearted surrender to the master, I will follow You wherever lead (v. 33).

The disciples who will choose to follow You into these days that are ahead -- days of great advance and great harvest to come -- will be those who have taken time to count the cost. There's a cost in our priorities, a cost in our attention, a cost in our possessions, a cost in our relationships, a cost in the surrender and sacrifice of our plans, our hopes, our goals, and anything else in our lives that we have set in place above Your place as First Place in our lives.

As You said, "So therefore, none of you can become My disciples if you do not give up all your possessions" (v. 33). You weren't just talking about our money, home, our cars, our furniture, and all our other stuff we surround ourselves with. You were talking about everything we claim as our own. When You said, "Whoever does not carry the cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple," You were talking about complete surrender of all we have and all we are, holding nothing back from all You desire (v. 27).

That might be more scary than the coronavirus! But You don't give us fear; You give us faith. You don't give us confusion; You give us clarity. You call us to courage and commitment -- but not to muster it up on our own or try to make it happen by ourselves. You invite us to ask You for all we need -- even the very faith and clarity and courage and commitment we need to take up our cross and follow You as Your disciples. You invite us to humble ourselves and ask for what we need. And what we really need is the guts to say, "Yes, Lord Jesus. I surrender all to You. I sacrifice all to You. My life is no longer my own, but Yours alone."

That's a high cost of discipleship. But that's also the highest calling of our lives. A builder or a commander is not afraid when they take time to count the cost. They're being wise. They're being responsible and accountable. They're making sure they're committed so that their Yes can be Yes and they can persevere to the end to accomplish the goal and get the job done.

There's a goal of a great harvest set before us! I'm excited and expectant because I want to be a part of all You're about to do in our world! So in this time we have to count the cost, I'm asking You, Lord, for all I need. In all honesty with You, I'm sure I don't even know all that is. But You do. And I trust You and love You and ask You to pour it into me, to stir it up within me. And above all else, I know I need You! So I open wide my spirit to be filled with Your Spirit! I lay down my life to arise in newness of Your life in me. "Christ in me!" -- this day and every day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays

My friend, may you be filled with the Spirit of Christ and all you need, as you take time to count the cost to rise and follow Jesus into this time of great advance and great harvest ahead, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!