Are you all in?

I was listening to an interview with a professional poker player, and have to admit... I thought the person was crazy. The person that they interviewed discussed how at one time they had over $1 million in winnings, an had lost it all. As a professional poker player, they had done this multiple times.

The didn't think there was anything wrong with their lifestyle. They knew there would be times when they were up... and times they would be down. In order to play at that level... you have to be all in. You have to be committed to the lifestyle.

Christianity is the same way... or rather it should be the same way. You should be all in. You should be willing to put everything on the line to pursue what God is calling you to do. I think about the rich young ruler in the gospels.

    18An important man asked Jesus, "Good Teacher, what must I do to have eternal life?"
    19Jesus said, "Why do you call me good? Only God is good. 20You know the commandments: `Be faithful in marriage. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Respect your father and mother.' "
    21He told Jesus, "I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man."
    22When Jesus heard this, he said, "There is one thing you still need to do. Go and sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower." 23When the man heard this, he was sad, because he was very rich.        Luke 18:18-23 Contemporary English Version

Jesus said... are you all in? And unfortunately, this man was not. I am not saying that God is calling us to sell everything that we have, but He is asking us to follow Him and trust Him with all our strength, and when we don't have the strength to follow through, He has promised to provide us strength. (2 Cor 12:9-11)

I was reading the book of 1 Kings - when Elijah called Elisha. God told Elijah to chose Elisha to be his successor as prophet to the people. Elijah told Elisha to "think about what I have done to you" - or think about what this calling means. Elisha responded by killing his oxen, breaking his plow, using the wood to cook the oxen, and was ready to go. For him, there was no turning back.

19 So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. 20 Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, “First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!” 

Elijah replied, “Go on back, but think about what I have done to you.”

21 So Elisha returned to his oxen and slaughtered them. He used the wood from the plow to build a fire to roast their flesh. He passed around the meat to the townspeople, and they all ate. Then he went with Elijah as his assistant. 1 Kings 19:19-21

Are you all in? Do you let God influence every aspect of your life? Do you place it on the altar as a sacrifice with the full expectation that God will honor your faithfulness? Are you willing to risk all? Are you... all in?