The Budget

George Osborn may not have many secrets to share today, in his Budget speech. But he seems to have given plenty of thought, much of it in public, to discussing how to generate the required amount of income from tax, to pay for our expected national lifestyles.

We all know that there is a price to pay for goods and services. For instance, I enjoy swimming, and once I have paid my annual membership fee, it seems to be free. But it still costs, in time and effort, to go swimming. Working out what can be afforded is what setting a budget is about.

Jesus told his followers to be careful in setting their budget, as they set out to be his followers.' “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ (Luke 14.28-30)

Following Jesus is not something we can fit into our spare time, or enjoy as a minority interest, like a hobby. 

I enjoy listening to music, or doing  a bit of gardening. Following Jesus is not like that. It is whole-life discipleship, or it is nothing. Have you done your budget recently? I have found that facing this challenge has been very helpful for the shape and direction of my life.

Best wishes,

Richard