At What Cost?

Luke 14:²⁸ “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?”

Before I surrendered to Jesus, there was a testimony that was making headlines. It was about a university student that had all her priorities wrong; she was evangelizing instead of being in class, at night vigils instead of reading, arranging chairs in church instead of doing her assignments. Is that not foolishness? Is that what God has sent her to do?

When exams came, she did not know anything. So she laid hands on and prayed over her blank answer sheet. The truth we need to face up to is, prayer can never substitute competence – never! The lecturer saw the empty sheet and put two question marks on it. But when his assistant that records the scores saw it, he took the question marks for the number seventy-seven. So her score for that exam was recorded as seventy-seven percent. If you celebrate that, then there is something seriously wrong. We were taught that if you are a cleaner then make sure you are the best at cleaning. So I operate from a place where the quality of your work gives glory to your God.

You know what will happen to that girl? Not all her lecturers and their assistants will make a mistake with her scores. And because she has not developed herself academically, she will carry over all the other courses. What I am teaching you is in the Word of God, it is sustainable and you can replicate it.

Now do not get me wrong. I am sure you know that I believe in the supernatural and I believe in miracles. I am not downplaying miracles; God could have done it for her. When we get to heaven we will know. The point is this; do not leave your life to chance. Stop the incompetence.

The fourth way to increase worthiness is sacrifice. The truth is that the gap between where you are right now and where you ought to be cannot be bridged without sacrifice. So you need to check the price tag for every goal, for every objective, for every vision. And once you locate the price tag, be willing to sacrifice and pay the price. Check the price before it is time to pay the price. Sadly, the converse is how many of us live our lives.

Prayer: Father, help me give diligence to the quality of my work so that it will bring glory to Your Name, in Jesus Name. Amen!