'Project Earth' Was an Expensive Project for God

God Counted the Cost

What a story we have in the Bible book of Genesis. In that book we are given the story of creation. God made everything in a time span of just six days. He mostly just spoke things into place. But, man was different. God made man with His own hands and He made man a living soul. Blessed is our God.

On the seventh day God rested. God was not weary as we are weary. He just sat back and enjoyed the work of His hands, sort of like an artist admiring his own painting or a carpenter admiring his handiwork. God was satisfied with His work.

However, unlike the artist or carpenter, God knew the future of His handiwork.
He knew in advance that Adam and Eve would sin.
He knew they would choose to believe the lie told to them by Satan.
He knew the sorrow that would come to them personally and to all mankind through them.
He knew the cost of redemption.
Yet, God created the heavens and the earth anyway.
He created Adam and Eve anyway.
He gave them freewill even knowing what would happen.

God counted the cost of creation before He began His building project.

Luke 14:28 says, ‘For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?’

God knew what would happen in advance, but He went ahead anyway.
He knew about Calvary before the world began.

I don’t know why He went ahead with the ‘Project Earth’ anyway. I know if I saw suffering for my son in advance of any project I would just skip the project. Or, if I saw suffering for my daughter, grandsons, my family, Jerry’s family, or anyone else dear to me, I would not go ahead with a project. Now, maybe if I foresaw suffering for …….. – OK - not even suffering for them.

So – I really don’t know why God went ahead with creation.
I am glad that He did.
I am thankful for my life and lives of my family.
I am thankful for the daily benefits that God gives to us.
I am thankful for His presence, even in sorrow.
I am thankful for His mercy.
I am thankful for His love.
I am thankful for the grace He gives us to endure hardship and sorrow.
I am thankful for the days of joy that He gives us.
I am thankful for the certainty that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again in three days.
I am thankful that God has my dad with Him in heaven, and many other loved ones as well.

This coming Sunday is Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Sunday, whichever you choose to call it. I don’t know exactly on which day He was crucified, but we do know He rose up on the first day of the week.

When considering Jesus’ triumph over death and the grave, what people need to consider is that none of those events came a surprise to God.
God had counted the cost from the beginning.
He knew exactly what was going to happen, who would be involved, and what the outcome would be.
He knew that a way to reconciliation between God and man would be accomplished.

Crucifixion day was a harsh day of unbearable sorrow for those who loved Jesus.
It was a day of triumph for those who hated Him.
It was not a day of surprises for God.
He had counted the cost from the beginning.

The Bible actually tells us ‘why’ Jesus went ahead anyway. He not only counted the cost, He counted the joy that would come after the suffering.

Hebrews 12:2 says, ‘Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.’

So, we actually have the reason Christ went ahead with ‘Project Earth’, even after counting the cost. He saw the future joy as worth the suffering that He must endure.

THAT is how valuable each of us is personally to God. Redeeming the souls of those He created brings God joy.

When we choose to follow Jesus, there is a cost to us. To some of us the cost will not be that great; to others it may cost them their lives. We just don’t know in advance.

But, by faith, we can know that whatever the cost, it will be worth it all.

1 Corinthians 2:9 says, ‘But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.’
The greatness and splendor of the reward God has for those that love Him is beyond the mental capacity of mankind to understand. The flip side of that is that the horrors of hell are beyond the mental capacity of mankind to fully comprehend either.

Calvary paid the full cost of our salvation.
We cannot earn by works what Christ has given us for free.
However, we CAN work for Christ because we love Him.
We can live a life that transforms from a material minded, self centered person into someone who follows the instructions in Galatians 5:22-23 which says,
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.’

I am sure of this.
It will cost you less to follow Christ than it will cost you to reject Him.
To reject Christ and His way is to choose the way of the devil.
There is no middle ground.
There is no way into the Kingdom of Heaven where righteousness dwells except through Jesus Christ.

Acts 16:31 says,
‘And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house’.