What Does it Cost?

Here is a good word from last Saturday's Life Journal reading:

28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. Luke 14:28-29

So often we eagerly jump into a project or a ministry without really thinking it through. The enthusiasm we have at the start often overrides the real work of thinking.

Leaders who develop the habit of starting things without fully thinking them through have really good intentions, but their plans often fail when they discover the cost. They are thinking about how this new venture will feel right now, not what it will be like months from now. Then as the months pass they discover the cost was higher than they were willing to pay, and they quit.

Not counting the cost gets us involved in a lot of things that we cannot possibly finish. There is a great price to pay for this habit. We lose the esteem and trust of others.

Leaders must know what their decisions are going to cost and be ready to pay that cost. If not their leadership will suffer.

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