Page 25 - Demo

25What do you still need to do? The first thing you need to do is calculate. In Luke 14:25, Jesus is up front about commitment. He said if you're going to follow me, you%u2019d better think about it. He said there's not a man who would build a tower without firsttaking inventory of his money and his materials. He would make sure he could finish. He's not going to get halfway up and quit. He said there's not a king who's not going to take care to count his own forces before he goes to war. If he's got 10,000, he'snot likely to go do battle against somebody with 20,000. He said, \every commitment, there are benefits to be had and prices to be paid. You decide whether you're committed based on whether you think the benefits outweigh the costs. That's it. In other words, is the cause worth the costs?I want you to do a little experiment. Picture in your mind two ledgers. On one side in this ledger is the question: What is the cost to follow Jesus Christ, because there is a cost? On the other side of the ledger the question is: What does it cost not to really commit to Jesus Christ? By your response to these questions you are making a commitment.When you commit to Christ, what do you give up? 1.The right to personal sovereignty.I'm not going to pull any punches. Don't say %u201cI%u2019m committed to Christ%u201d if you're not going to commit. In other words, it's no longer what do I want, but God, what do you want? It's not what I want to do, it's God, what do you want me to do?See, amazingly, the God who created the universe gave each of us the ability to choose how much influence the Almighty God will have in our lives. He didn't have to do that. If He wanted to, He could have made every one of us puppets, robots or animals, birds or fish. But He made us with the ability to think, reason and choose. He gave you the ability, right, to decide. So if you commit to Jesus Christ, you're saying, \over to you.\I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.\personal sovereignty.2.Personal priority of your resources.Whew! That one stings! It's no longer what do I want to do with my time, it is, God what do you want me to do with your time? It's no longer what am I going to do with my money, but God what do you want me to do with your money? See, it's the concept of stewardship. When you commit to Jesus Christ, you're saying, \and He wants me just to manage it for just a little while for His glory. I give up \mine concept.\