Luke1428 sounds like a weird name for a personal finance site. It’s not very intuitive and probably wasn’t the first site the web algorithms pulled up when you keyed in your search terms. You would expect a blog dealing with people’s money to actually have some money related term in the title.
If you are feeling there is something mysteriously spiritual about the blog name, congratulations. This blog’s title serves as the reference to a particular passage from the Bible. If you have been on the “Welcome” page you know faith plays a big role in my life. The verse connected to this reference has kept me focused as I’ve worked to discipline myself with my finances.
The Background
In the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus on one occasion was talking to his followers about the great personal cost it would require for each of them to truly be his disciple. He is explaining that in the very near future he will die and in order to follow him, his disciples would have to be willing to die as well.
They would have to forsake everything in order to make this type of commitment to Jesus.
In order to drive home this point, Jesus uses two incredible examples that show how planning ahead can lead to a successful outcome. The example that spoke to me can be found in Luke 14:28-30 where He says,
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish – lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”
Counting the Costs
There are costs associated with any choice. For the followers of Jesus those costs did eventually mean their life. At least they had sufficient knowledge ahead of time to plan and could decide if that sacrifice was worth it to them.
You and I will probably never face something so extreme. But just like those followers of Jesus, we must count the costs of our decisions and weigh the potential outcomes.
In addition, all of us intend to finish what we start. How much more beneficial would it be if we planned ahead before embarking on a task? Would not the proper preparation make our chances of success greater?
Developing a plan or a blueprint to follow is central to achieving success with personal finances and any goal we might pursue. That’s what the pages of Luke1428 are designed to help you with.
(For a more in depth study of the themes in Luke 14:28-30, you can read my three part series on the passage starting here.)