Episode Details

Usually, when we think of “COST,” it’s money

• a product “costs” us “Blank amount of dollars.”

But there is a more profound COST

• What it takes to get the money in the first place

Let’s look a place where Jesus explains the concept

Luke 14:26-33

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

28 “For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
What is a way for us to understand this “COST”

Cost = Time + Energy

• The greater the “COST,” the greater the investment of our TIME and our ENERGY

Holding the door for a stranger vs. A first date

First Date vs 50th wedding anniversary
Other examples:

Work – Get money

What is the COST?

Cost = time+energy
Kids – Raise the next generation

Cost = time+energy
Friendships – not lonely

Cost = Time + Energy
The cost of following Jesus

• death to self

 

Let’s talk about 2 COSTS the Bible teaches are WORTH THE COST.

 

1: Cost of Character

What is character?

Character: The strength of moral fiber.

“As the excellence of gold is its purity and the excellence of art is its beauty, so the excellence of man is his character”

• “What you do in the dark”
• When no one is watching
• When there is no consequence

Character is the sum of our:

• disposition
• thoughts
• intentions
• desires
• actions

It is good to remember general tendencies gauge character

• Not based on a few isolated actions
• We must look at the whole life

Why is there a “COST” to character
Because character is DEVELOPED

• it’s learned

It’s through REDEEMED HEARTS
Like the refining of metals

• God REFINES OUR HEARTS

Proverbs 17:3

3 A crucible for silver, and a smelter for gold, and the Lord is the tester of hearts.
How do we DEVELOP Character?

Romans 5

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, 4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Cost of Character is this:

• Cost = Time + Energy

Time:

• Suffering
• Affliction
• Hardships

Energy:

• Boasting in God
• trusting in God
• Not trying to fix it ourselves

 

The cost of Godly Character is FAITH IN SUFFERING

• We trust God when things are hard
• We do what is righteous even when it’s incredibly hard
• We are morally obligated to God’s law even when no one is looking

Paul is not the only one who teaches us this…

1 Peter 1:6-8

6 You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials 7 so that the proven character of your faith—more valuable than gold which, though perishable, i