Count the Cost

August 4, 2023 | 7 Min. Read

What do you think of when someone says "How much will it cost?" Do you see dollar signs and price tags? What if there's something else to consider? There's an intersection between cost, price, value, benefits, investment, risk, and reward, and it's at the cross.

When Jesus talked about cost, he gave a couple examples to prepare his audience to consider what they were really signing up for with him. He said to make sure you can finish what you started, or you might suffer from a humiliating failure. And traditional wisdom says "look before you leap!"

Count the cost beforehand
(Luke 14)

Make sure you don’t give a vow and only consider it later (Proverbs 20:25)

Jesus said you better be prepared to give up all you have or you can't be his disciple.
(Luke 14:33)

That's what we think of as cost, isn't it? But there's another kind of cost -- opportunity cost -- that is built into following Jesus, and we often miss it.

But we don't just miss it with Jesus, we also often miss it in our businesses and relationships too.

Opportunity Cost

There's a formula for Opportunity Cost in Economics,

Opportunity Cost = Forgone Option – Chosen Option

and it doesn't only apply in business; we use it every day.

“The real cost of any purchase isn’t the actual dollar cost. Rather, it’s the opportunity cost—the value of the investment you didn’t make, because you used your funds to buy something else.” -Warren Buffet

What's interesting to me is when I researched opportunity cost through a lens of discipleship, I found a near-universal trend: the word "cost" was used interchangeably with "price", even though they are different.

The "cost of discipleship" was also called "the price of discipleship". But knowing that cost and price are different in economics, I wanted to explore what was missing.

I found more than I expected, and it opened up more questions:

What does opportunity cost mean for a Christian, and how is it different from paying the price of discipleship?

After spending time reflecting, here's what I came to understand:

1. Opportunity cost is what is lost when a choice is not made, an action not taken. What are the costs for those closed doors? IE. If I don’t do it, what is the loss?
2. Paying the price of discipleship means being willing to accept the consequences that follow making a choice or taking an action for Christ’s sake.

Cost of Discipleship

When we count the cost of following Jesus, it means we must consider all that we stand to lose from this world when we agree to accept Him as Lord.

He tells us what those costs are, and they are steep:

(Matthew 8:18–22; Luke 9:57–62; Luke 14:25–33; ; John 6:59–66)

It’s not unlike taking oneself off the market to commit to a faithful relationship with one person; what opportunities have we effectively said no to by choosing to be exclusive?

Choose Whom You Will Serve

That’s opportunity cost.

In my case, it’s meant that I am saying no to dharma, karma, Buddha, Confucius, mammon, baal, et al. My spirituality is grounded in Jesus Christ.

As for me and my house, we serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

Now that I have made my declaration, the action has begun: I now have a target on me;

which means a reaction is inevitable. There will be fiery darts.

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one
(Ephesians 6:16)

Dealing with the reaction, is what it means to pay the price: Serving Christ as a bondservant.

Bondservants of Christ

I was born into a prison, a world where I was a slave, along with everyone else. Except, no one realizes it’s a prison because we were all born inside of it. We cannot see it from the outside, so we don’t recognize it for what it is.

There’s an old song that goes, “I sold my soul to the company store” that describes how workers would end up owing money “on account” because they would have to pay more for living expenses than they were paid.

Their “job” became a prison they could never afford to leave. "St Peter don'cha call me 'cause I cain't go..."

In the same way, I worked for my wages but then I would go to the “company store” to get what I needed and wanted … and end up owing more than I could pay.

My account showed the truth — I had only earned wages for sin. I didn’t go to my Father who knows what I need, (Matthew 6:8) who gives generously. (Psalm 104:10-18) I didn’t trust Him.

Instead, I had put my faith in myself and in “the company store”, IE. the empty pleasures and treasures of the world — twisted, perverse, crooked behaviors (Proverbs 5:6) -- all of that which rots, rusts, and corrupts the good. (James 5:2-6)

Blessed or Cursed. You Choose

The rules of the prison are clear: behavior must be paid for, either by a blessing or a curse.

A blessing is power given to succeed, whereas a curse is power taken to fail.

Blessings are virtuous cycles: Invest, grow, tend, blossom, ripen and harvest fruit; save seeds to increase and repeat.

Curses are vicious cycles: Eat, borrow, decline, diminish, reduce, skimp, starve, decay, die.

My behavior “wages” were curses that could only be paid in blood; my blood. My sinful choices and iniquities required my death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Christ saw. He came into the same prison as me, but He made different choices. He refused to give up His integrity. He trusted and went to the Father, and he endured to the end.

His innocence meant he could only earn a blessing, but he took the curses and paid the price with his blood.

Christ paid the price to free us from the curse that God's laws bring by becoming cursed instead of us.
Scripture says, "Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed." (Galatians 3:13)

He paid my ransom. He bought me as a slave, and I pledged my service to him.

He is so good, he is so generous;

he said he doesn’t call me servant, but friend. (John 15:15)

He offers to share everything with me (Romans 8:17) all that he won by his own efforts, and I only need to try my best to follow him. I don’t have to be perfect in myself, he gives me everything I lack. (2 Corinthians 12:5)

He’s a perfect man, a perfect son, a perfect savior, a perfect master, lord, lover, and king. (Hebrews 5:8-9)

Of course I serve him as a bondservant, He is the king of my heart!

“Where would we go?” (John 6:68)

I have given my undying loyalty to him. I have said, “for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; for better or worse; and not even death can part us.”

The price I pay is to honor my commitment, my vow to accept Christ as my Lord — no matter what the circumstances are, no matter how I feel minute by minute or hour by hour. The value is everything he has done for me, all of my life.

The price comes in the “poorer; sickness; and worse” —

will I stand by my Lord and trust him in those desperate moments too, and believe in his leadership, his goodness, mercy, kindness, and his faithfulness?

Christ promises I will have trouble, (John 16:33) and it will be because of him (Matthew 10:22).

When the sheep hits the fence...

when things really get "hairy"...

...I will still have a choice to make:

Do I run full force toward what I want more than anything; or
Do I run away and try to avoid what I’m afraid of?

Each of those choices has both an opportunity cost and a price to pay.

If I choose one, I have to give up the other, and live (or die) with what comes next.

If I have to live with my choice, I want to be at peace. That means choosing Jesus; He is the prince of peace.

I choose to run full force to the Father by keeping my faith in Christ.

Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.” John 14:6

The Great Commission

Choosing Jesus might cost me everything, but He is worth it;

He’s too precious to give up.

He has never given up on me.

I’m precious to him, and it cost Him everything to pay the price for me.

Taking his burdens on is the least I can do.

Sharing his message of good news — the gospel of Christ — is the burden of every Christian. (Matthew 28:18-20) I am so glad to bear it.

Have you decided to “take up your cross and follow” Jesus?

(Mark 8:34-35, Matthew 16:24-28, Luke 9:23-27)

It’s the investment journey of a lifetime that pays dividends eternally.

It holds the secret to overcoming opportunity cost:

I have to pursue what I want the most or avoid what I fear the most.

If I choose one, I must give up the other.

painted rock saying "have a great day" lying amidst plain stones

Choosing Jesus is an investment; it requires serving him here now, bearing the burden of others, and risking everything for Christ.

It pays the future dividends of fulfilling all desire in heaven while also avoiding the torture of living with endless craving, for eternity.

(It’s a supernatural secret!)

When they come at you with stones...
Romans 12:17-21

Christ stood in the gap as intercessor
(Isaiah 59:16)

Taking a stand for Christ is simple, not easy

Becoming a child of light has a cost and requires a price
(John 12:35-36)

Saying YES to what's possible also means saying NO -- to what else is possible

What if there's more to cost than meets the mind's eye?

Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me (Matthew 5:11)

About the Author

Kristi Rae Millsap MBA is a writer, veteran, and certified, professional Christian coach.
She started consulting in 2012 after earning her MBA in Healthcare Management and getting laid off from her corporate job as a frontend developer and internet marketing analyst. Consulting led to serving in ministry, coaching, and writing.

Kristi enjoys bringing new ideas to life and sharing creative insights to help Christian entrepreneurs learn how to gain more time-freedom to love God with all their heart, mind, and strength.

Kristi is married to Reverend Paul Millsap, and together they shepherd their family of 9 children. Together, they minister in the areas of marriage, re-marriage, divorce, parenting and grandparenting, especially focusing on forgiveness, grace, mercy, and living at peace.

With support from Paul, Kristi also homeschools the family's last child at home in Minnesota. They both love spending time on the road, exploring old towns, connecting with new churches, and visiting their kids' families and 10 grandchildren.