“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the 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 to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:28-33, NKJV).

The word, Christian, as used today is an amorphous term. It once described a people who hold and espouse a set of values that are wholesomely godly. The writers of the New Testament used it originally to describe people who are like Christ in character and deeds. For a long period of time, the term remained synonymous with goodness, honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. When you say someone is a Christian, it is taken as a public testimony that the person is good and dependable; someone you can trust and rely upon. One stands to wonder if that is still the same today with so many among those who parade themselves as Christians. In our days, Christianity now describes a motley assemblage, many of whom have no meaningful relationship with Christ. They are Christians only because they use Christ as a brand name to pursue their vested interests. I once confronted a young man, a banker, who switched denominations wanting to know the reason behind his move, he told me in clear terms that the new church offers greater potential for getting customers. For such people as the one I just described personal commitment to the person and ideals of Christ do not feature among the reasons they are Christians.

A Christian is simply a disciple of Christ. A disciple is a learner who practices what he has learned. A disciple of Christ is therefore someone who is committed to learning from Him and living according to what he has learnt. Being like Christ and following His example has never been easy at any time, more so in the twenty-first century world of today. It is for this reason that Jesus demands that those who would wish to follow Him should first and foremost carefully consider the implications of doing so. He therefore requires each of us to count the cost of being His disciple and make a decision to come on board or not based on factual data. He told the two striking parables in our text to drive His point home. A man who wants to build a house should work hard at creating a good budget for the project. A budget is a spending plan based on income and expenses. He must know how much he needs to execute his project and how to raise the needed funds. A lot of planning goes into building projects ranging from preparing the cite, drawing the plan, purchasing the building materials, engaging the workers and so on. All these details are usually worked out before embarking on the building. Where this is not done, it could lead to having an abandoned project. Our Lord’s argument is that following Him demands such meticulous planning. It demands an effective use of our commonsense.

The popular maxim has it that when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Being a Christian is like going to war against a powerful enemy. You need to be sure that you have what it would take to engage the enemy and come out victorious. Recognising that this going to be hard task for everyone, our Lord made provisions for grace. Grace avails us with adequate resources to be like Christ and live like Him on earth. Our bold testimony on the day of judgement is that all that Jesus is now, is what we are in this world (1 John 4:17). And who is sufficient for these things? None of us except one armed and propped by His grace. Hardship and difficulty abounds to those who would live like Christ on earth, but the promise of God is sure, “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness…”(2 Corinthians 12:9). Again, He declared, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”(John 16:33). It certainly pays to follow Jesus at whatever cost. But you must make a deliberate common-sense decision to do so. Take the leap! Let’s run with Christ in Jesus name.