Proverbs 19:2. Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
You’ve probably heard the modern proverb, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” Proverbs 19:2 is the ancient version of the same idea. It is one of our most common problems as humans – we strive for things without really understanding what we are striving for. Have you ever been caught in this? Have you rushed into something without all the pertinent facts and information?
Notice that it is not desire that trips us up, but desire without knowledge. You bought the big ticket item without shopping around, and missed out on better deals. You made the move to the new position, but you didn’t really know what would be required of your time. You got married without any premarital counseling, so you didn’t really know your spouse deeply.
Jesus talked about those who even “receive” the gospel without knowing exactly what they were getting into. Those who fail to count the cost of discipleship.
Luke 14:27-33. 27Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Do Jesus’ own words here describe your relationship with him? Did you count the cost before committing to his path? Did you know that following Jesus would mean taking up your cross just like he did? Or did you just follow your family, your church friends, your pastor into your own version of Christianity? Maybe you genuinely desired the version of Jesus that you were offered, but didn’t know that following Jesus meant renouncing all that you have.
But why does Jesus even say this? Does being a Christian really require such an extreme level of commitment? Yes, it actually does. No, Jesus does not require his followers to give up all possessions and adopt an ascetic lifestyle. In fact, Paul denounces such asceticism in his letters to the Colossians. But Christ does require that we abandon all that can become a substitute in our hearts for him. And he does require that we hold all things with an open hand as part of his rule over our lives.
So don’t run hastily to Jesus. Follow carefully, after you have done the cost-benefit analysis that cross-carrying requires. But I know that what you’ll find is that in Christ our heart’s desires for all that it needs are found ultimately in the love of God for us in Jesus. And I can tell you that the benefits of that love far outweigh the costs.
You: Do you make hasty decisions?Did you count the cost before becoming a disciple of Jesus?
You in Christ: In Christ we are required to carry our cross, but how does being in Christ’s love allow us to do this without ultimate loss?
Christ in you: How can you plan (with knowledge) to carry your cross in loving service of someone else today?
Pray: Father, I tend to rush into things. I may have even rushed into my relationship with Jesus. Help me to slow down and really understand what you want from me, but more importantly, what you give to me. Amen.
To Live is Christ 