Count the Cost

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 11th of October, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Gospel of Matthew 20:22:

“But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.”

Folks, we are talking this morning, not about a cup of prosperity, no - but a cup of suffering. Now Jesus was about to go to the cross, and when the disciples wanted to sit on either side of Him in Heaven, He said, “Can you pay the price, can you drink of the cup?” And they said, “We are able,” and they didn’t really know what they were saying. 

In my prayer room, I have a prayer cross. It was given to me many, many years ago by an Australian pastor when I was preaching in Australia. It is a replica of a cross, a hand cross that was found in the Catacombs of Rome when the Christians were being persecuted for their faith. When you take it up in your hand, you do it when you are praying and when you press on that cross, the corners of the cross press hard into your hand and it is painful, and it reminds us of what the Lord went through for you and me. You and I must count the cost and we must ask that question, “Can we drink of the cup?” Even Jesus Himself, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Mark 14:36, said to His Father, “Not My will but Your will be done”. He didn’t really want to go through with it but He did because it is what His Father wanted. 

So often when you are going through a tough time, it’s not even the physical pain, is it? No, it’s more of a spiritual fight. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5:

“For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,…”

The battle is actually in the mind. It is not so much in the flesh. False accusations when you follow Jesus, people making up stories about you, loneliness, loss of friends. You know, Jesus started off with 120 disciples. In the Garden of Gethsemane, they all ran away and left Him and He remained on His own. Oh, but I want to tell you, the Bible tells us in Psalm 30:5:

“Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.”

God will see you through. Oh yes, I have seen it in my own life. In 2009, when we had the Mighty Men Conference on this farm, 120,000 men were here and what happened? I had two heart attacks, one under the platform and the big one at home. I was dying. I was lying there on the grass, in front of my house saying, “Lord, what is happening?” But you know, they put me in a helicopter and as the helicopter swept over the crowd, I saw 120,000 pairs of hands stretched out, praying for my healing.

Jesus healed me in 15 minutes and I was preaching the next morning. We need to press on, count the cost and the Lord will give us the victory.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.