Skip to main content

“In the world of economics, there are two kinds of cost—an actual cost and an opportunity cost.”

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Double Blessing (p. 123). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

We are for the most part good at the actual cost but not the opportunity cost.

Mark says, “An actual cost is an expenditure. It shows up on your balance sheet as a liability, and it’s relatively easy to account for. An opportunity cost is a hidden cost. It’s the loss of potential gain, often because of indecision or inaction.”

Luke 14:28 (NLT) says, “Don’t begin until you count the cost.”

Mark continues, “Jesus spoke those words in the context of a construction project, but they are true of a thousand things. When it comes to counting the cost, most people fail to realize that it’s a two-sided coin. Most of us are pretty good at counting the actual cost. Counting opportunity cost? Not so much. Why? Because opportunity cost involves scenario planning and systems thinking. And when you try to account for the future, there are far more variables at play. Spiritually speaking, counting opportunity cost is a moral calculation that involves a measure of faith. And few things are more critical when it comes to your future.”

He goes on, “You can do nothing wrong and still do nothing right. Goodness is not the absence of badness. That is a glass-half-empty gospel. Faithfulness is not holding the fort. It’s playing offense, which is the opposite of playing it safe. As Christ-followers, we should be more known for what we’re for than what we’re against. Sure, you can maintain the status quo and there will be no net loss. There is no actual cost. But the opportunity cost is staggering.

“If you stay in the boat, you’ll miss out on the miracle!

“Potential is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God. And that goes for every blessing as well.”

We are in the season of giving.  God is truly the giver of all givers and He is the giver of opportunity and potential in each one of us.  Let’s not look at just the actual as we see but also the opportunity as God sees. So, would you step out of the actual in faith and pay the price for His opportunity?  Would you? 

Yes, yes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

"To put it simply, worry isn’t just a bad habit."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book,   Winning the War on Worry    (p. 1). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Ok, that is interesting. Louie says, "Worry is an Enemy tactic—a strategy built on lies that are designed to rob you of peace and tear your mind to pieces. "That’s why it’s crucial that you are able to spot the lies worry tells." He goes on, "Not long ago while on safari in South Africa, Shelley and I were really wanting to see a leopard in the wild. Early and late on our game drives our eyes were set on every tree limb, bush, grassy hill, and river path in hopes of finding one of several leopards that were known to frequent this particular area. But here’s the thing: leopards aren’t bright orange with tall, sparkly antennae on their backs. They are designed to blend into the surroundings, like the bark of a baobab tree where they might be lounging on one of its mighty branches. "In the same way, ...
Post a Comment
Read more