I'm All In!

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25 (NKJV)


I think it has to be one of the saddest things for a person to make claim to believe in something, but then opt to not take that thing serious enough to put effort to do it.  

I could say that being physically fit is my goal-but then turn around and choose to sit around doing nothing all day-watching TV or playing video games, eating junk food and gaining weight.

In the Same way, I could say, "I confessed that Jesus is Lord and Savior, and I believe that He died on the Cross for my sin, and rose again on the third day." But not really seek to learn His teachings, or worse yet, know them and yet not fully follow, and apply them.

There is probably only one thing as dangerous or as agonizing as being a carnal Christian, and that is denying the faith altogether.  To make a statement of faith, and to accept forgiveness of our sinonly to go back to doing the same things in the same way that we did prior is insane, and self destructive.  It is akin to gambling!

And since it is truly gambling, let us use the gambling game of poker for our analogy.  You sit down at the table and you purchase some gambling chips with your money-these will be what you will bet with when you play your hand.  You are now dealt some cards with which you are to start making the best hand possible if you are to win. If you feel confident on what you have been dealt, then you wager a little more of your chips on what you see, but still not knowing what cards you will be dealt next. 

Many people live their Christian lives in much the same manor-they don't invest all of they have to offer, but only enough to get by in their Christian walk.  They want to see what God is going to do for them-what kind of cards He will deal them, before they decide to commit to more.

And so the poker player continues to get cards dealt, and the more they see various cards being dealt, the more confident, or non-confident they may become.  And, at some point, you have to decide whether to fold your cards and quit playing, or you will have to raise the stakes and put more of what you possess on the line.

If you really like what you have been dealt, then you may feel so good about what lies ahead, that you take every chip you have, and you push it all out on the table, and you say, "I'm ALL IN!  It's all or nothing!  That player is risking it all and they are saying, "I believe that what I have is a safe bet, and I believe that I will win."  If they are wrong, then they will lose everything.

Again, we, as Christians can live our life walking in the same way the poker player is playing this game. But there is one major difference when it comes to someone playing poker verses our walking in faith, and in the obedience of the Lord, and that is that we are not gambling!  That's right, we have already been told that we will win, and in fact, we are playing with a winning hand-because we have security in Jesus.

As Christians, we might not know what cards we will be dealt with in this life, but we do know that we are Gods children and we are loved.  We know that God has a specific plan for each of us (See Jer. 29:11), and that nothing will be done without Gods permission first. 

Q:    What does it mean to be All In as a Christian?
A:    We can see Jesus giving us the answer in the following verses.

Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 22:37-40 (NKJV)

Jesus is quoting the commandments God gave His people in Deuteronomy 11:13.  If we want to be "All In" then we need to love God with everything we possess, and that means obeying Him fully (See John 14:15).  He even promised to give us a helper that would assist and guide us in doing everything properly (See John 14:16), so we are without excuse.

God has made a promise to those who are "All In" as well, and we can see this promise in Deuteronomy 11:14-15.  

'Then I will give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled.' Deuteronomy 11:14-15 (NKJV)

Jesus reiterated this promise for our provision to us in Matthew 6:33. 

Hey Christian, God has a plan and is working in every aspect of your life.  Don't try to sit back and cautiously invest a little more of yourself when you see that the cards you have been dealt are good.  Take everything you have and push it out onto the table, and say, "I'm All In."  God will do some amazing things and your will be blessed beyond measure.  Its not gambling; its Gods plan for your life.

STUDY QUESTION: What can we derive from the Scriptures contained within this devotional with regards to being fully committed to God?

PERSONAL INVENTORY: Are you "All In?"

APPLICATION: Don't hold back anything.  Fully commit your life to the Lord in every area, and let Him know right now, that it is your desire to be "All In."