In just one recent example, someone who is a believer in Jesus Christ was experiencing some serious issues warranting some discussion and prayer. One of the key factors that came up in the course of counselling came to the question: "Are you all in?" That is, are they all in with Jesus Christ?
We get held back spiritually, emotionally and in many other aspects of our lives when we hold ourselves back from going all in for God. There will be battles we cannot seemingly win, fear that assails us, seeming successes that turn into failures, problems and sins resurfacing again and again, and that ever-nagging feeling that things "just aren't right" when we hold back.
Frequently we hear people say things like, "I have so much to do, I just don't have time for church", "I have my kids to take care of and can't devote myself to God at all", "I know about God and I believe in Christ, but I'm afraid of committing, because I might lose everything else." And in much of Christianity, you'll also see people saying they believe in Christ and His Word, but not following or doing what He says even though they see it written black and white in the Bible. Just look at the 10 Commandments for a start.
Jesus Brooked No Compromise
Jesus is absolutely stark in His statements regarding believing in Him - that is, fully putting your life and trust in God and His Saviour. He even brings it to one of the most impactful parts of our lives:
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:37).
If we put family ahead of God and ahead of Christ, then what are we truly loving? We're not talking here about neglecting or abandoning or abusing family - Jesus and the Bible makes abundantly clear that we are to love and provide for our families. No, this is about putting them above God in our hearts and in our devotion.
You will know the old story: someone says they love God, but won't even commit to worshipping with the church and hearing the Word (which is commanded in passages like Hebrews 10:25), for fear that some family member will be unhappy with them or disapprove.
There are the many who have essentially left the faith or drastically watered it down in their older years, once their children are grown, because they want to "fit in" with their adult children and their lives, and maybe fit in with the grandchildren.
But if you have been around Christians for a while, you also know the stories of the ones who took their fears to God, went against the crowd, embraced faith in Christ fully with obedience to His Word and then their family, work and world became better than ever.
We must be frank: This doesn't happen every time. But Jesus does promise that He will reward those who give up all to follow Him.
What about the other areas of life: Work and money? Or community? Or friendship groups? Or ideology? Or lifestyle?
Jesus continues in Matthew 10:38,
"Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
Even more astonishingly, He says,
"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 10:39).
Truly, the question is: What point is it holding on to the world, helping others to get a leg up in this life if, in doing so, you lose out on your own eternal life?
Would you want others - friends, family, neighbours - to accept Jesus Christ at some point and believe wholeheartedly in Him, but meanwhile let pursuit of this world's priorities overtake you so that you will not be there with them in the eternity of the resurrection?
You have to endure - that means to energetically pursue and persevere - through to the end. As Christ said,
"No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).
That is, you have to go all in for Christ.
The Parable of The Sower and the Seeds
Jesus told His disciples the parable of the sower and the seeds (you'll find it and a discussion of its meaning and other related parables in Matthew 13), including the example of the seed that falls amongst the thorns and dies. It represents those who hear the Word, but they end up being choked by the cares of this world, the worries of life and wealth. Read the parable and see the other types of problems that prevent someone from being fruitful on hearing God's word.
It's an alarming parable if we take it seriously. You need to ask yourself, as we must: "What's holding you back?", "What am I keeping between me and Christ?", "Where have I decided to pull back from His Word and His lead?"
If you believe it, are you willing to do it?
The reality - the joyful reality - is that when you go all in for God and Christ, that He GIVES you the power and the joy and the love to undertake more than you ever could on your own. It is in the faith that we are all encouraged and empowered to love family, friend, neighbour and even enemy more than we ever could by our own power. Going all in for God, ironically, means going all out for others and the important things in life.
Don't let this world, or other people, or other religious interpretations or you yourself hold you back - plunge in with both feet into the living waters poured out by God through Jesus Christ and His Word.
Go all in for Christ!
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At Living Waters Church of God, we take every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God seriously. It's why we let the scriptures speak one verse at a time in our preaching. It's why we do the Biblical thing when the rest of the world does the mainstream, traditional thing. It's why we have beliefs that sometimes converge and sometimes diverge from the major denominations and from mainstream evangelicalism. Because we believe in going all in for Christ.
If you are local, join us. Give up your life for Christ and in doing so, be rewarded with eternal life - at work in you now and forever. You'll find a congregation of people committed to honestly following God's Word and to helping you become a fully committed disciple of Jesus Christ and child of God, born again to new life. More importantly, you'll find the best brother, friend, counsellor, protector and pioneer you could ever have: your Saviour Jesus Christ.
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