Thought for Today
Ezra 6:3 In the first year of his reign, King Cyrus issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices are offered and burnt offerings are brought; its height shall be sixty cubits and its width sixty cubits, 4 with three courses of hewn stones and one course of timber; let the cost be paid from the royal treasury.
Proverbs 7:23 . . . He is like a bird rushing into a snare, not knowing that it will cost him his life.
Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?
Acts 22:28 The tribune answered, "It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen."
“No matter how much we do the figuring, we tend to be optimistic about the cost. It’s usually the surprises that cause us to go over the budget.” (These Days, September 6, 2025)
The author of those words above is a retired Presbyterian pastor. His devotional for today is a reflection on Luke 14:27-28 and reflects his own experience during his ministry with church building projects and with his own home improvement projects. He correlates that experience with our own faith experiences as Christians and the cost of discipleship.
I was originally trained as an engineer. My first career was oriented around capital building and expansion projects in the energy industry. I worked for several engineering contracting and construction firms serving primarily the petroleum industry. I was always involved in the project engineering or management. I worked on small and extremely large projects ranging from a few thousand dollars of total installed cost to more than $1.5 billion dollars. Without exception, over a career of 40+ years, not a single project was completed within the original budget or the original schedule. I suspect that throughout human history, no project has ever been completed for the original estimated cost or time duration. From the ziggurats of Babylonia to the pyramids of Egypt to all construction today this has been true.
It is not, however, because “we tend to be optimistic about the cost.” It is because we never truly build exactly what that cost was meant to cover. Every engineering and construction firm has some form of what is known as a Change Order. Whenever the contracted scope is changed or modified, the cost of that change or modification is estimated and the client has the option of approving the addition or withdrawing the requested change. The first law of contracting is that “Scopes change.”
How does all of this correlate to our faith experience? “Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” When we make our public confession of faith, are we fully cognizant of what we are professing? When Saul asked, "Acts 9:5 Who are you, Lord?" and heard, "9:5 I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” was he even thinking about the scope of what that declaration created, much less the cost?
Our faith is not really a matter of scope or cost. What does our assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen encompass in our lives? All of it! What does God want? “Micah 6:8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” What did Jesus tell us about scope and cost? "Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." There are no limits, there is no defined scope or estimated cost. Those all define limits.
Rather than think about defined scopes or estimated costs, we should remember these words from Hebrews, “12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” There are no limits to what our faith demands. God wants all of us, our lives dedicated to bringing about God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. It is not a question of economics, of costs or benefits. It is about loving God and each other.
Stay safe, run with perseverance, trust God,
Pastor Ray