Tradition says that King Herod was a lover of buildings. Out of that passion, he began different building projects including erecting a tall tower. But he didn’t really calculate the cost of these projects. As a result, lack of resources forced him to abandon them half-way through. So people secretly mocked him seeing the faulty buildings.

Counting the cost is an important principle that we need to follow in all areas of our lives. Jesus taught this principle in Luke 14:26-33 through two examples.

The first one is that of a builder. Before a builder starts a project, he has to carefully estimate the cost of the project and must make sure that he has all the necessary resources to finish it well. If he doesn’t do this essential part, he probably will end up with an unfinished building and will be put to shame.

The second example is that of an emperor. During ancient times, if an emperor wanted to confront an opposing king, first he had to estimate the strength of his army and weapons in comparison with his rival. And if he found that he was not strong enough, he had to work out a peace treaty with the enemy rather than attacking with limited resources and be defeated.

It’s not only in areas of starting a building project or dealing with an offender that we need to count the cost. This principle must be applied in areas of spirituality, relationships, career, education, wealth and every other part of our daily life.

Our relationship with Christ is the foundation for everything else in our lives. Therefore we need to make sure that this relationship goes smooth and matures day by day without being blocked by any other area.

Similarly we need to estimate the cost of being a spouse, parent, in-law or friend. We also need to count the cost of taking new tasks as well as changing jobs. Doing this will help us understand the seriousness of these roles and responsibilities and take necessary steps to fulfill them.

The principle of counting the cost before doing something is a sure way of avoiding unnecessary load and loss. That is also a great way to smart living.

- – - written by Joe Abraham & Ancy Joe from www.joeandancy.com

What is Love? Can you define it? Well, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 defines Love here…

• Love is patient
• Love is kind
• It does not envy
• It does not boast
• It is not proud
• It is not rude
• It is not self-seeking
• It is not easily angered
• It keeps no record of wrongs
• It does not delight in evil
• It rejoices with the truth
• It always protects
• It always trusts
• It always hopes
• It always perseveres
• Love NEVER FAILS

This is the correct meaning and attributes of Love as given in the Bible.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

The Bible uses the image of Eagle to show strength, power, swiftness and high ideals. Eagles make their nest high on the rocks. They fly swiftly. God compares himself to a mighty eagle when he tells how he delivered the Israelites from Egypt on eagle’s wings (Exodus 19:4)

Great men of God are like eagles. The father of all nations, multitudes and faith – Abraham; was a great Eagle. God commanded him, “Rise up, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you” What was Abraham’s life like? To a casual observer he was an uneducated man from Ur, who wandered for twenty-five years in the Middle Eastern desert, with his people, possessions and animals. He was a nomad. He was a frustrated old man walking with an unbelieving and ever nagging barren woman. Modern man will even call him a loser.

God considered Abraham to be his friend! When God thought about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he said “How can I hide this from Abraham”. The God of the universe is not obliged to any one, but still he considered himself obliged to Abraham! Why did God ask this aging man to wander around? What is the purpose of these purposeless wanderings? The clue is in the above passage from the bible.

God gave authority to Abraham, over every inch of land where his sandals touched. What a great promise. Abraham had to walk the length and the breadth of the land to claim authority over it. In the centuries that followed, the descendants of Abraham occupied every inch of that land. Today, every one who considers Abraham as a patriarch can see his profound effect on human history for ever. Every Christian and Jew claims their lineage from Abraham. The spiritual authority of Abraham spans the entire globe!

Mighty eagles spread out their long wings. Their wings are full of feathers and are of diverse colors. They fly over huge landscapes at the command of their master. Their huge shadows fall on the landscape. God gives them spiritual authority over the land where their shadows fall. Abraham was a mighty eagle, who claimed authority over the land where his shadows fell. And we, followers of Christ, are all called to be mighty eagles for God.