Consider The Cost
Even an unskilled bowhunter (which I was) will get lucky if he wanders around in game-rich country long enough. Eventually, I made a lucky shot on an elk and was able to stalk and shoot an antelope. I was saving my buck deer tag. The year before I had to pass on a trophy mule deer because I had already filled my tag. I hired on with a local hunting guide who needed help retrieving 4 elk from deep in the Belt Mountains.
It was bitterly cold and there was 2 feet of fresh snow on the ground as we each rode a horse and led a horse behind us. We went miles into the mountains and finally came to four elk that had been gutted and dragged together. They were all frozen solid. The guide told me to start piling up dead branches about 20 feet from the elk. I thought we were going to get to work cutting and packing meat, and had no idea why we were building a fire. When I asked, he said, "We'll need a fire to keep our fingers warm because we'll be working with frozen meat." I soon found out how true that was.
I learned another 'trick' for packing meat on horseback, and within a couple of hours we had a whole elk on each of the 4 horses. Then began our walk out- each of us leading two horses. The guide failed to mention that we would be walking out... with horses on lead... jerking at our shoulders for miles... Did you ever notice how often in life the 'cost' comes after the experience? I'm sure that shooting those elk was fun. Retrieving them was another matter.
Buying a new car is fun- payments are not. And we haven't even talked about sin, which always gives 'fun' up front. But sin always TAKES YOU FURTHER than you wanted to go, KEEPS YOU LONGER than you wanted to stay, and COSTS YOU MORE than you wanted to pay.
When the Word of God tells us to "consider the cost" before doing something, it really applies to all of life's decisions, doesn't it? Sometimes we consider the cost and move forward. Sometimes we consider the cost and step back. Either way, CONSIDER THE COST, and you will be blessed! -Pastor Brad
Written on July 25, 2025
Posted in Daily Devotions