Committed to Follow – I’m All In!

If you’re familiar with the game of poker you most likely know the term all in. For those who don’t know what that means, it means that a player has what he believes is a winning hand. It also means that the player is willing to bet everything they have on that hand. When someone goes all in, they are confident that no one else at the table can best the cards they have. Because they believe they will win, they ‘put it all on the line.’

When someone goes all in, it’s a sign of confidence. When someone goes all in, it’s a sign of surety. It’s a sign of faith that they believe things will work out for their good. They’re committed to the end – come what may!

A great comparison can be made between being all in at poker and being all in when following Christ. If we have decided to follow Him, we have entered into ‘the poker game of life’ (so to speak). The exception is that we aren’t playing to win temporary things like poker chips or money. Instead, we are ‘playing’ to win the life Christ has promised!

The success we have in our Christian life requires dedication, the same kind of dedication that we see when someone goes all in at poker. In fact, Jesus Himself has a lot to say to those who want to follow Him, and He doesn’t mince words about it;

Mark 8:34-35

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

The kind of dedication Jesus calls for is similar to a poker player who goes all in. The one who goes all in gives everything they have in the belief that they will be victorious. In the same way, Jesus calls us to deny ourselves. We are to stop living with ME at the center of everything I do. He calls us to take up our cross and to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, just as He did. He calls to each of us, saying follow Me.

Following Jesus – really following Him – isn’t easy, but it is simple. The only thing we need to do is be all in. If we aren’t willing to commit our lives to Him, then we will never see the fulfillment of His promises. By committing everything for Christ we submit ourselves to His leadership, instruction, provision and protection. We can have confidence that what Christ promised He is able to perform. And what has He promised us? He promised that we can be victorious in life!

If we truly believe that Jesus is Who He said He is, then we can trust Him. He will do all He said He would do. We just need to be all in.

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