A friend asked me this question when I was buying a new motorcycle. What is the budget? What do I want to spend on a motorcycle? Should it just cost the money I have left over in my bank account? Should it cost my savings? Should I cut out the movie theater trips to get 10 more horsepower? The motorcycle isn't that important to me, so I just spent the money I got for the old one.
But hopefully it looks different if the question is "What must the gospel cost?" In my everyday life, the gospel costs me some indulgent smiles and silly remarks from friends and colleagues who don't share my Christian faith and don't understand how I can believe. It costs me my Sunday morning sleep and the gifts I give to missions. It costs me Thursday night when I meet at the youth club. But that's hardly sacrifice, is it? Because I like going to church. I like my friends in the youth club, and I don't really miss the donations. The barely concealed mockery from friends and colleagues doesn't bother me anymore - after all, I'm allowed to do as I please.
This is not the case for Christians in other countries. People are not just looked down upon in Pakistan, Turkey or China. There they can lose their career, family and life for believing in Jesus. They live in Paul's statement: "For to me life is Christ, and death is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Have you set a budget? What should your faith cost? I hope it costs everything. For me, life is Christ.
