Gen 1.1- Count the cost.

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I mentioned that I was going to go on with this Genesis book beginning from this week. To everyone that reminded me, Thank you o..

When I started meditating on this, I was asking what I’d call it or the angle I will take this from cas it’s very direct. My father, walked right in and began speaking seemingly at random, about counting the cost. And in that moment, it all clicked. That was it. That was the core of what God had been pointing me to: counting the cost. It wasn’t just about plans, or purpose, or even destiny. It was about how we step into those things deliberately, strategically, and with clarity.

Let’s get right to it.

When we open the book of Genesis, we witness a divine story unfolding with precise, ordered intention. There’s so much going on in that first chapter alone, but one thing stands out above all else: everything happened in sequence. Not randomly. Not impulsively. The world was built in order—a harmonized, deliberate flow from one step to the next.

“In the beginning” – Genesis 1:1.

That phrase alone carries weight. Because the beginning of a thing often determines how far it will go. Yes, Scripture says “better is the end of a thing than its beginning” (Ecclesiastes 7:8), but don’t miss the reason why: the end is better because it has been planned for. It’s not an accidental finish.

It is the result of intentional steps.

And while we know that the end can sometimes change midway (just ask Saul, whose dynasty was intended to last but was cut short because of his disobedience), God’s own method has always been clear: start with the end in mind.

The Goal Was Always Man—But the Plan Was Always Christ

Before God created the heavens and the earth, He already had the goal in His heart: man. And before He created man, He had already considered the cost: Christ.

He could’ve made man first, set him aside, and then formed the earth around him. But He didn’t. Instead, God first created the earth—because man would be formed from it. That’s no coincidence. That’s design.

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground…” – Genesis 2:7

This tells us something: every goal must be preceded by a plan. God knew the structure. He knew the sequence. He didn’t make man and then figure out how to sustain him. He made the habitat first. He created the systems that would hold and nourish life before placing life into them.

And this plan didn’t stop at creation. Even before the world was formed, God had already counted the cost of man’s redemption.

“…the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” – Revelation 13:8

“…this grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” – 2 Timothy 1:9

This wasn’t an emergency plan. It wasn’t an afterthought. Christ was always the plan of man. God knew what it would cost to bring us to Himself, and He still went ahead.

God plans, and He’s a master planner so we should be.

“For I know the thoughts and plans I have for you…” – Jeremiah 29:11

God is not reactionary. He is not impulsive. He’s strategic, wise, and purposeful. And if God: the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator—plans, how much more should we?

“The Lord by skillful and godly Wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He has established the heavens.” – Proverbs 3:19 (AMPC)

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” – Job 38:4

Everything about creation reveals design. It wasn’t haphazard. He didn’t forget to add insects for pollination. He didn’t overlook the oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange between plants and people. He didn’t miss the gravitational balance of a planet orbiting the sun in a vast space where everything else floats. Every single aspect of creation was structured, intentional, and thoroughly thought through.

“It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom…” – Jeremiah 10:12

So if wisdom undergirded God’s actions, then wisdom must also undergird ours. And that’s where planning comes in.

You Can’t Build Without Counting

This is where it becomes personal. Because while creation was about design and intent, your life also has a structure to follow. You can’t build without a plan, and you certainly can’t build well without counting the cost.

“Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost…?” – Luke 14:28

A tower is not a duplex. Imagine the Burj Khalifa. The depth of planning, engineering, financial investment, and risk assessment required to pull that off is staggering. But isn’t your life worth that kind of forethought?

We often rush into things, skipping steps because we feel time is short. We want to see results immediately. And social media only intensifies this urgency. But purpose doesn’t unfold in haste. Purpose unfolds in planning.

You want to buy a house in 2028? Then you must have started planning in 2020—or earlier. You need to learn about investment, budgeting, compound interest, real estate trends. You must track your habits, monitor your spending, cut costs, and grow your discipline.

Every vision needs structure and accountability for completion and laying aside every weight to achieve those goals is the cost.

You Don’t Just Speak Worlds—You Plan how you want them created.

There’s this idea that we create by words. And it’s true. But even our words must be aligned with what we’ve planned. God spoke the world into being—but He planned it first.

You can’t speak success into your life if you don’t plan for it. You can’t declare open doors if you haven’t positioned yourself to walk through them.

Planning helps us stay focused. It keeps our eyes on the vision. It prevents waste and disappointment.

“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.” – Proverbs 24:27

“But the noble make noble plans, and by noble deeds they stand.” – Isaiah 32:8

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” – Proverbs 19:20

“For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” – Proverbs 24:6

If You’ve Failed Before—You Can Begin Again

Many of us have walked away from dreams—not because they weren’t possible, but because we didn’t plan well. But here’s the good news: just as there was a beginning, there can be a new beginning.

The world didn’t start with man. It started with a plan and there was a cost for it. Your life should too.

So now, I say this with all the urgency and hope in my heart:

Set the course. Count the cost. Shape your future.

Because this—right now—is only just the beginning.