commitment

Friday September 6^th, Luke 14:  28-30 "Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: 'He started something he couldn't finish.'  31-32 "Or can you imagine a king going into battle against another king without first deciding whether it is possible with his ten thousand troops to face the twenty thousand troops of the other? And if he decides he can't, won't he send an emissary and work out a truce? I built a new deck on my house several years ago.  The idea started with extending the deck and butting it up against a retaining wall.  Next came building the retaining wall, which we then discovered needed a deeper foundation to find the good soil that would provide stability for the wall.  After all the preparations it was the end of summer and I finally got around to actually building the deck.  Moral, even if we make plans, it is always a good idea to get a sense of the extent of what is needed before jumping into a project.  We are also called to put the same diligence and perseverance and planning into following Christ.  It is the process of bringing Christ from the periphery of our lives to the center of our lives that brings wholeness to life; it is also a decision that will cost us our lives as we have come to know them.  We do this all the time with things that cost money.  We sign contracts and commitments that last for years.   We know how to do this with life and money, but do we follow the same commitment with faith?  All too often we hear excuses of those who have made a monetary commitment to a cabin, boat or motor home and therefore feel obligated to use them every spare moment, leaving church in the dust.   I have yet to hear of someone who made a commitment to children, church or God and made that their overwhelming commitment which then governed the how or what of their other commitments in life.