“You should love Him, your True God, with all
your heart and soul, with every ounce of your strength.” –Deuteronomy 6:5
VOICE
Going “all-in” is a
phrase that originated with the game of poker in the United States in the 18th
Century. In no-limit poker, to bet all
of your chips was a sign of total confidence in your hand. If you have a very good hand, go “all-in” to
win the maximum number of chips or to scare off mediocre hands so they won't
catch the cards they need to beat yours. If you have a bad hand, you can bluff
by going all-in and hope everyone folds.
The phrase has grown to encompass a lot of different uses. One example is, when a group of friends
decide to go to the beach and ask another friend to join them the friend can
respond, “I’m all-in!”
Since He commanded
us to love him with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, and ALL our strength (Deut.
6:5) our walk with Jesus should always be “all-in”.
“Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord
your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most
important, the first on any list.’” –Matthew 22:37 (MSG)
Going “all-in”
requires being more than just the status-quo.
If you are doing just enough to get by you are not “all-in”. An example of doing just enough for a
Christian is that they go to church, sing the songs, pray, and pay their tithes. These are all needful and good things but
they are only an outward manifestation of the Christian walk. The true Christian will have an inner and
intimate relationship with Christ and the outward manifestation comes as a
result of that relationship. How about
you? Are the things you do a result of
having that ongoing and ever-growing love you have with Jesus or are you going
through the motions because it is expected of you?
I was speaking with
a long-time friend over the phone recently and I excitedly shared the marvelous
things Jesus has done in my life. After
my sharing my friend said, “It sounds like you are “in-love”! I pondered that for a moment and I agreed with
her. Brothers and sisters that is
exactly the relationship Jesus is looking for with us. It was never meant to be a one-way love. We know and accept the deepness and fullness
of God’s love for us, so great a love that He sent His only Son to die to free
us from sin (John 3:16).
When the love of
your life walks into the room, how do you feel?
There is a physiological response:
your pulse increases, your eyes dilate, you sweat more and your mouth
may actually water, but most of all there is a release of chemicals in the
brain that produce a euphoric high. You
may feel turmoil in your tummy, pounding heart, and a loss of appetite all the
while feeling a joy you do not feel with others. This is how I feel when I am sharing about
the Lord and what He has and is doing in my life. This is how I feel every time I just spend
time with Him reading His Word or praying.
This is how I feel every time I sense His Anointed Presence.
“Listen! I hear my lover’s
voice.
I know it’s him coming to
me—
leaping with joy over
mountains,
skipping in love over the
hills that separate us,
to come to me.” –Song of Solomon 2:8
Just like any
relationship, though, we have to put effort and time into our relationship with
Him. Imagine a married couple who only
got together once or twice a week. What
do you think would happen to their marriage, let alone their friendship? It would weaken maybe even to the point of
failure. In the same way, how can we
grow and draw closer to the Lord if we do not spend regular time with Him? You do not have to do anything elaborate to
grow closer to Him. Keep it simple; read
the bible, worship, and pray every day.
Start the day before getting out of bed by saying, “Thank You, Lord, for
waking me up this morning.” Pressed for
time? Read just one verse in the Bible
and then think about that verse as you go through the rest of your day. If you find something happening that needs
prayer then ask God to bless the situation.
At the end of the day think of one thing that happened that day to be
thankful to the Lord for and write it down (I keep a journal to put these in). Before long you will find yourself making more
and more time to expand these simple tasks and your relationship with the Lord
will grow accordingly.
God’s love is so
great that even in these tumultuous times He wants to keep us strong and
confident so that circumstances around us do not discourage or weaken us. I hear an urgency in His voice in these end times to draw close
to Him. He is calling to you too. Will you respond by going “all-in”?
I’ve been changed,
healed, delivered.
I’ve found joy, peace,
grace, and favor.
I’ve been changed,
healed, delivered.
I’ve found joy,
peace, grace, and favor.
Right now is the
moment, today is the day,
I’ve been changed! I’ve
been changed!
I have waited for
this moment to come,
And I won’t let it
pass me by…
I won’t go back to
the way it used to be,
Before Your Presence
came and changed me.
All my shame, guilt,
sins,
They’ve been
forgiven.
No more chains,
fear, my past,
It’s over
Right now is the moment,
today is the day,
I’ve been changed!
I’ve been changed!
I have waited for
this moment to come,
And I won’t let it
pass me by…
I won’t go back to
the way it used to be,
Before Your Presence
came and changed me.
(“I Won’t Go Back”
by William McDowell)
