Listen

“If one of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t you first sit down and calculate the cost, to determine whether you have enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when you have laid the foundation but couldn’t finish the tower, all who see it will begin to belittle you. They will say, ‘Here’s the person who began construction and couldn’t complete it!’”

Luke 14:28-30

Think

In Chicago, not long ago, a group of people came up with a plan for a beautiful tower. The tower, dubbed “The Chicago Spire,” was going to have 150 floors with condominiums, a movie theater, and a pool. It would be the second tallest tower in the world, dwarfing the structures around it and causing visitors to wonder in amazement.

After much fanfare, the builders began work, digging 76 feet into the earth to create a foundation. But before work could continue on the tower, the builders ran out of money – in fact, they amassed millions of dollars of debt.

Today, all there is to show for the Chicago Spire project is that 76-foot deep hole, surrounded by fencing on a desolate site. It is not an amazing sight; it is an eyesore.

Let’s not let our plans for following Jesus languish and end up as eyesores in our lives. Instead, let’s persevere in discipleship so that we can become a beacon to his love, something everyone will view with amazement.

Jane Claspy Nesmith

Pray

Amazing God:

I heard your invitation, and I want to follow you!

Help me not to take your invitation for granted.

Help me to persevere so that my life in you may stand out as a beacon of love to others.

Amen.

Go

Refreshed by God’s loving messages for you,

Prepare yourself for your journey.

Step out once more,

Ready to follow the path God has shown you.