“Now great crowds were traveling with Him. So He turned and said to them: “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. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. “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? Otherwise, after he has laid the foundation and cannot finish it, all the onlookers will begin to make fun of him, saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ “Or what king, going to war against another king, will not first sit down and decide if he is able with 10,000 to oppose the one who comes against him with 20,000? If not, while the other is still far off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not say good-bye to all his possessions cannot be My disciple. “Now, salt is good, but if salt should lose its taste, how will it be made salty? It isn’t fit for the soil or for the manure pile; they throw it out. Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”” (Luke 14:25–35, HCSB)

Every good commitment costs. Every good commitment needs to be considered before a commitment is made.

Just as a builder considers the cost of finishing a house, we need to consider the long-term effects of our decision to follow Christ and His church.

Just as a king considers the cost of the number of soldiers in a war, we need to consider the level of commitment one needs to be a disciple and active in the church. Different people will have different ideas about what level of commitment they should have in the church.

If I give my efforts and energy to the church, it is going to cost me something. I am going to have to give up some other things: money, time, and effort. You have to say goodbye to something else if you are going to replace that commitment to Jesus and the church. As you increase your commitment to Jesus and His church, you will have to say goodbye to more things.

Just like every good commitment is worth the cost, the church is worth the cost of your commitment.