Luke 14:28
Notes
Transcript
Starting Fresh.
Starting Fresh.
Luke 14:28-30
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
OPENING REMARKS
This is our final Midweek of 2020. And as such, we’re going to cast our eyes forward into the future and get our sanctified imaginations working a little!
It’s of course traditional to set New Years Resolutions; though it’s easy to trash this particular tradition I actually find that it helps me.
I’m not talking about drawing up an arbitrary list of self promises which I have no intention of sticking to. More like resetting the compass of my life to ensure my rhythms and practices point me in the right direction.
As the old Einstein quote goes; the definition of insanity is ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.’
If we’re feeling stuck in a bit of a rut, or just a little dissatisfied with our Christian walk the best thing to do is take an inventory of our habits, our routines, our rhythm of life. What needs tweaking there in 2021?
And what ‘results’ do you want to see in 2021? What changes in yourself would you like to see? Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint these things.
FINDING YOUR WHY
Perhaps it’s best to start by thinking about the things that excite you most right now? What motivates you? Then ask why?
I’m really excited to furnish my new garden office! But there’s a bigger WHY. My WHY is that I’ll be using the office to be more focussed and effective in my role as a pastor, Bible teacher and apologist.
Theres always a WHY behind the things you love to do. What’s the WHY behind the things that you’re excited about?
That WHY is directly connected to your unique purpose and calling in God!
Take a moment and write down two or three things you’re excited about accomplishing this year and then ask yourself what the WHY is behind these things?
Write your WHY down and then see if you can draw out of that WHY something of your unique calling from God.
WHAT ARE YOU PREPARED TO SPEND?
Jesus used the illustration of someone desiring to build a tower to describe someone planning to follow Him. The object of that desire is glorious but expensive; it will take lots of time, money and commitment to complete it. Jesus is saying; following me is the same, you can’t half-arse it. You should either count the cost and commit all your resources or just walk away now.
What resources are you prepared to commit in pursuing the callings of God over your life? Time? Energy? Thought? Money?
All too often in life I’ve gotten carried away by a bright, shiny project, ideal or vision; a recording project, a book or whatever. I’ll make a promise to myself to commit to this thing because I like the thought of it before soberly counting the cost. I might be able to run with the project or pursuit for quite a while but eventually I’ll run out of gas and end up feeling kind of burnt out and a little sad and embarrassed that I wasn’t able to sustain the thing I’d started.
Here’s the deal; when you think of a tower what do you think of? It’s height! You think of how beautiful and striking the finished project will look like. You don’t necessarily think of the footings; of the foundations, the tedious details that underpin that mighty and striking edifice.
Give thought to the footings; what foundations do you need to start laying in your life now to support what you want God to build?
I often read about the lives and ministries of the great reformers and puritans; Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Baxter, Whitefield, Wesley. It’s all guts and glory! Wonderful stuff! In reading of Whitefield we’re amazed at Him preaching to crowds of over 10,000 people outdoors without a microphone, we’re blown away by all those miners with tear stained faces weeping their way to Jesus under the power of Whitefield’s preaching. What we perhaps don’t give too much thought to are the footings of Whitefield’s prayer life; that He spent whole nights out in the freezing snow crying out to God for revival, we forget that he, Wesley and the rest of the Holy Club at Oxford used to confess their sins to one another daily, full disclosure! We forget that these men weren’t always loved; they were often hated by their contemporaries! Mocked, vilified, ostracized and even beaten.
Consider the cost that’s required for you to build what you are desirous to build.
What’s the timescale? Maybe you won’t see the full realisation of what you have in your heart in 2021; but the footings and foundations can go in. You can change something today that will affect an even bigger change down the line.
DON’T DESPISE THE DAY OF SMALL BEGINNINGS
What you’re aiming for in 2021 doesn’t have to sound spectacular; in fact it might sound quite modest in your own hearing. 2 things;
Don’t despise the day of small beginnings. Embrace what God has laid on your heart and own it. Don’t feel that it’s unimportant because it perhaps seems a little small. Get after it!
Equally, don’t be afraid to enlarge the borders of what you’re planning for. Go big! As they say; shoot for the stars and you’ll reach the moon.
SUGGESTED QUESTIONS FOR GROUPS
What are your aspirations for yourself in 2021?
What’s your WHY and what might that say about God’s calling for your life?
As you continue to pursue God’s call for your life, what changes are you going to make to your daily routine this year?