A WORD FOR TODAY, October 21, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, October 21, 2025
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation and isn’t able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy and asks for conditions of peace. So therefore, whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple.” Luke 14:28-33, WEB
I recently saw a meme that had a photo of a roll of toilet paper with just a sliver of paper on it. The caption read, “Before starting a project, make sure you have the resources available.” It made me laugh, because I’m sure that we have all sat down to do our business without realizing that we didn’t have enough toilet paper to clean up.
If you haven’t had that problem in the restroom, I’m sure there have been other situations where you have not had all the resources available to do a task you have begun. It has happened to me in the kitchen far more than I care to admit. I have started dinner, only to realize I don’t have any macaroni for the side dish I was planning. Or I don’t have enough flour for the banana bread I want to make. How many DIYers end up at the hardware store several times during a project because they realize they don’t have enough nails or wood? How many parents discover at 9:00 p.m. Sunday night that a child has a project due on Monday morning and needs a poster board immediately?
Do you have the resources available to do what you need to do today? This is a very practical question, but it is also a spiritual one. Do you have the resources available to do God’s work in your little corner of the world? We begin to answer this question with the truth that God will provide us with everything we need. He gives us gifts. He fills our mouths with His Word. He ensures that we have His Spirit and power when He calls us to do something. Yet, we are reminded that we are meant to be active participants in the work. This means being prepared.
God puts us in a time and a place and in relationships to accomplish His good and perfect work in this world. He needs us to live our Christian faith not only within the walls of the church on Sunday, but daily in the world so that others might see His grace. To do so, however, means keeping His Word in our hearts and in our minds. It means taking time daily for prayer and study, for renewing ourselves by drinking in the waters of life. We are not strong enough, faithful enough, knowledgeable enough to live a dynamic life of faith. We need to constantly gather “supplies” so that we will be prepared for whatever opportunities God places before us. We need to drink daily to live, and we need to drink deeply of God’s Word so that we’ll stay on the right path.
In today’s passage, Jesus told the multitudes two parables. One was about a builder and the other about a warrior king. He asked what would happen if they did not count the cost of their projects. The builder would be seen as a fool when his foundation lay undeveloped, the king would be routed by the enemy. The builder and the king had to count the cost so that they knew if they could succeed. We are reminded that he cost of discipleship is great; it means giving up everything for the sake of Christ. It means humbling ourselves before God, looking to Him to supply our needs, but also giving up our time to ensure we are prepared to do God’s work. Unlike those times when the toilet paper runs out or the flour canister is empty, we can trust that God will ensure we have what we need. However, as active participants in the work of God’s kingdom, it is good for us to count the cost of discipleship, checking our resources to be sure we are prepared for every opportunity.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org.