The Cost of True Discipleship—Count the Cost

Being Jesus’ disciple requires total commitment (Luke 14:25-33; Luke 9:57-62). This involves prioritising Him above family, our possessions, and even our own life, using the strong word “hate” (Luke 14:26) to show how great the difference must be between our allegiance to Jesus and our allegiance to everyone and everything else (Matthew 10:37-39). Furthermore, Jesus uses illustrations of a builder and a king (Luke 14:28-32) to highlight the importance of counting the cost before committing. He also warns against laying up treasures on earth rather than in heaven, as one cannot serve both God and wealth (Matthew 6:19-24). The example of Lot’s wife looking back in disobedience (Luke 17:32; Genesis 19:26) and Ananias and Sapphira deceptively withholding part of their commitment to God (Acts 5:1-11) serve as solemn reminders of the danger of divided loyalty and the need for single-minded devotion to God.

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-33 ESV)

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62 ESV)

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39 ESV)

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:19-24 ESV)

Remember Lot's wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. (Luke 17:32-33 ESV)

And as they brought them out, one said, "Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away." ... But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:17, 26 ESV)

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God." When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you sold the land for so much." And she said, "Yes, for so much." But Peter said to her, "How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out." Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. (Acts 5:1-11 ESV)

My parents are my creators, they loved me unconditionally and I loved them more than anything else when they were alive.
Now my husband gets this love, because he's here for me and loves me. We are soulmates.

Why would I forsake these incredible humans for an invisible ghost who loves war and conflict and torture?
I would probably fail any decency test if there was one, but more importantly, I would fail good humans and ultimately myself and my own integrity, if I put this manic ghost above real humans who love me and whom I love.

originally posted by: Hecate666
My parents are my creators, they loved me unconditionally and I loved them more than anything else when they were alive.
Now my husband gets this love, because he's here for me and loves me. We are soulmates.

Why would I forsake these incredible humans for an invisible ghost who loves war and conflict and torture?
I would probably fail any decency test if there was one, but more importantly, I would fail good humans and ultimately myself and my own integrity, if I put this manic ghost above real humans who love me and whom I love.

I think you have to be a Jehovh Witness to understand this kind of logic.

a reply to: TheGoodNews

Looks like Project25 is alive and well even on ATS. It should grow and flourish here!

www.reuters.com...

a reply to: lilzazz

It is clear to see that Project 2025 definition of family values don't come from the Bible Jesus.

Some sort of revisionism must be in effect.

Project 2025 is a plan to seize power within the federal government.

Obama already did that years ago, and Biden furthered his agenda to 'fundamentaly change America' by continuing to divide the country and bankrupt America.

Each party always screams it's going to be the end of our country, but it never is. Sometimes it gets better, like 2016-2019 and sometimes it gets worse...like 2021-2024. Each party wants to take credit for anthung good that come from thier administration and blame the other party for any failures.

Same old reruns watching everybody getting tgier knickers in a bunch every four years gets pretty boring.

joebiden.com...

a reply to: Hecate666

How can you parents be your creators? They knew barely anything about you until you were born. This is love:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:16-21 ESV)