This question might sound strange to many Christians. But in reality, planning our expenses before hand can be the secret to being free from all restraints in our future lives. This might sound worldly and not spiritual, but there is clear evidence in God’s Word about how God expects us to be true custodians of all that He has supplied us. I know of many Christian friends who also began their projects in style only to leave them right in the middle. Why? Because they did not take into account the costs involved to see all that they wanted to be fructified as concrete results in the end.
This truth of knowing in prior about the costs involved should extend to every area of our lives. What is the cost involved in our daily association with God? Even in a marriage or business, we need to consider everything. Take a look at Luke 14:28 which says “For which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” What do we want to build in our life? We must work out, appraise, and measure what it will need to put up and extend our project to the full. Only a solid foundation will hold a winning project. Let us not be one of those people who begin many ventures only to abandon them in between only because we did not take seriously the costs involved.
For a just example, let us look at the institution of marriage. Marriage is more than having sex. It will take work to put up with issues that will soon crop up. What if you or the woman develops an incurable disease? What if you lose your job? Have you saved for such an emergency? On the other hand, what is the cost of remaining single? How are going to go through life without a good home friend? What if you were to lust for every woman on the street? These are costs that must be considered.
How is our relationship with God? We have seen the manifestation of God’s power in some of the greatest followers of the Holy Spirit. The names of Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Gloria Copeland and Kathryn Kulhman soon come to mind. They were great men and women of God. God did mighty miracles through them to bless His people. What did they do? What costs did they pay before God decided to use them? Just as Luke 14:25-30 says, if we consider what it took for them to be such great disciples of Jesus, only then can we see how they reached that level.
Even in the natural, there is a cost involved in everything. How much money do we need for that pet project? From where are we going to get it? We can see that there is a budget involved that needs to be applied for the fruitful completion of any project. What are our daily financial needs? At the end of the month let us tally our account books to see how much and where the money was spent. This will give a clear picture. Then there will be room to make necessary adjustments to carry forward what we want to the end. So let us start today by drawing up a worksheet to achieve our financial goals. And then believe God to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory through His mighty Son Jesus.
To sum up, not a day should pass when we have not counted the costs involved.
Bible Commentator: Sunder Venkataram
