Through the month of November our message series is “All In.” The life of a disciple is designed to be lived in this way; following Jesus means going “All In” – holding nothing back. It means complete trust in the Lord in all things. Our decisions, our actions, our priorities… are viewed through the lens of faith. We are called to look like Jesus in this world of desperation. God wants our all – complete trust, faith, love, obedience… It’s not always easy to be an “all in” follower, which will be part of our discussion on Sundays.
Are you All In?
I found the image in the graphic for the message series and it reminded me of a time that I jumped from a cliff. It wasn’t that high or into water as cold (the picture is from Crater Lake). But I did make the leap from the ledge and splashed into the water below. I’ll tell the whole story on 11/4…
How
we live our lives as disciples of Jesus is really important. You can’t
be a disciple part-time. Spending part of a day with God, one day a
week, isn’t the life that God is calling us to. Instead He invites us to
trust Him, 100% of the time. That means our lives are shaped by faith
in Christ. All. The. Time.
Mark 12:30-31 (ESV)
| “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” |
Jesus declared the greatest commandment to be “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” That is a description of being all in. He celebrated the gift of the widow who put “all she had to live on” into the offering. He sent His disciples into all the world to be witnesses! The love of God lasts for eternity – it’s for all time.
God went all in for us when Jesus took on flesh in order to redeem us. He went to the cross where He gave His life in our place. He rose from the dead to assure us of His love that lasts forever. He calls us to love and trust in Him as our God and Savior. He calls us to be All In.
Going All In,
Pastor John