Today our pastor preached an awesome sermon. It was part two of a series entitled, “All In”. The main idea was whether or not you are going to go all in. Are you going to keep doing what you’re doing, saying you believe but not necessarily taking the next step. The next leap of faith. Jesus didn’t come here to give you an adequate life. He came here to give you an amazing and abundant life.
When you think of your marriage or your family, on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least amount, how “in” are you? How invested are you? How much are you giving daily to see your marriage or family grow? I completely understand that one partner can give and give and you still sometimes end up in the same place. Or you feel like you are in the same place. But what if you’re not? What if the next time you have a “talk” with your spouse, it’s suddenly a game-changer. You can’t always see when things are changing. God can. He is walking right beside you through it all, whatever may happen. He will always be there. He is always “all-in” when it comes to you.
What I have learned in our marriage is that even when I thought I was giving 100%, I really wasn’t. God made it clear to me that to give 100% meant that I held no grudges, forgive when it wasn’t comfortable, loved when I felt I had nothing left to give and the hardest part, be willing to accept my role and responsibility in where we had ended up. Once I took that into consideration, how “in” was I? My number that I was so proud of, my 100,% dropped down to maybe 50 or 60%. Why is that? Because we are all imperfect human beings. Then I start thinking about how God loves. His love is the epitome of “all in”.
He loves us even when we turn our backs on him. “All-in” love.
He is always ready to listen-and not the type of listening where He blocks out what He doesn’t want to hear. “All-in” listening.
He doesn’t keep track of our mistakes and throw them in our faces. He forgives. “All-in” compassion.
He shows us grace in abundance, even when we don’t deserve it. “All-in” amazing grace.
What about you? Are you “all-in” or are you standing on the sidelines of life hoping that things will change? Hoping that things will get better? Do you want to be in the same place 6 months from now? 1 year from now? 5 years from now?
It is time.
Time to jump “all-in”. To realize that everything you have and everything you are is from God. To realize that without Him, you are nothing. To jump in and not just get your feet wet, but to immerse yourself in God’s love. When you decide to do that, you are simply saying that you need Jesus. You can’t do this thing called life alone.
There’s one thing about being “all-in”. You can’t do it halfway. You are either in or you’re not. If you are ready and willing to see God open up the gates of heaven and pour blessings into your marriage and family, then jump all-in! He’ll be right there to catch you.
So, are you “all-in”?
Ephesians 3:14-19
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
