What’s Your Jesus Budget?
I finally broke down and did it. I started my Christmas shopping list.
This should be an enjoyable part of the holiday season, right? You think about your family and friends as you gather up gift ideas and imagine their reactions as they open up the perfect gift you selected for them.
For me, that task is agonizing. Why does every person on my Christmas list have to be so difficult to shop for?
In contrast, the easiest part of my Christmas season is determining my shopping budget.
I look at my finances every year and decide what to spend in order to get the right gifts for the people I love and care for. Now I am not afraid to be a little reckless with my spending, especially when I know my money is going toward the perfect gift. To me, the sacrifice is worth it.
Have you ever counted the cost required of you to do the work of ministry? When it comes to you personally sharing Jesus Christ with others, what is your “budget” to do so?
Consider what Jesus said in Luke chapter 14:
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’” (Luke 14:28-30)
Jesus was talking about the cost of following Him here, but the same principle applies to sharing Him as well. Sharing the good news of Jesus isn’t exactly free. It doesn’t cost money like a Christmas gift budget would, but there are still significant costs involved:
- Sharing Christ costs us our comfort. At one point or another, we are sure to be asked to step out of our comfort zones and do things that aren’t easy to accomplish His purposes. We will be stretched beyond our normal tolerances, and our endurance will be tested.
- Sharing Christ costs us our time. Are you interruptible? Our schedules and timetables are going to be detoured in order for us to do His will.
- Sharing Christ might cost us our reputation. When the call to share Christ goes against the norm, we are bound to rock some boats. Our obedience to God could lead to misunderstandings, criticism, or even false accusations.
- Sharing Christ may cost us the risk of the tough question. A challenge to our beliefs, and the fear of an inability to vocalize a defense, can be crippling.
- Sharing Christ costs us the possibility of rejection. Obeying the call to share the good news of Jesus can mean strained or ruined relationships, splits from social circles, loss of employment, or more.
The cost of sharing Jesus Christ with others can be high. Sometimes it simply IS high. Many times, we look at our “budget” of personal comfort and determine we are not willing to spend it.
That’s when I look back at the Christmas story and the gift given to us in Jesus. What was God’s budget?
God didn’t just spend a little bit of time or comfort. He “spent” His only Son. The cost for God to give us the gift of salvation was everything. The cost for Jesus was the throne of heaven, a crown of thorns, and a cross.
Who am I to worry about looking or feeling like a fool for a few minutes when Jesus endured humiliation and torture to secure my place in eternity?
As I finalize my Christmas shopping list, I’m purposely challenging myself to calculate my sharing Christ budget. I need to intentionally decide that the gift of seeing people come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior is worth the cost involved. I must be willing to “spend” my time, my comfort, and even my pride to share the hope in Him that I’ve been given.
The gift of Jesus is priceless. Compared to what He gave me; I can afford it.
By Beth Crosby