All Out and All In

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. II Timothy 4:7-8 (KJV)

The Apostle Paul lived all out for Jesus. He dedicated his life to the cause of Christ. He suffered much, as the Scriptures tell. As they say in sports circles, he left it all on the field. He didn’t hold anything back, but gave it all for Jesus. When it came to the gospel, he was all in. He lived all out, and he was all in.

Are we doing the same? Are our lives a statement of the love and power of Christ? Or do we relegate God to a 60 minute window of time on Sunday?

Our belief in Christ is not supposed to be a part of our lives; it is supposed to be our lives. Everything we do, think, feel, say should be an expression of Jesus. And everything we have and everything we are is to be dedicated to His service 24/7. We are supposed to go all out for Him. We are to withold nothing. Our hearts, minds, soul, and strength are to be all in for the Lord.

You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, with every thought that is within you, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment. Mark 12:30 (The Passion Translation, TPT)

If we are not all out and all in for Jesus, our love has cooled, and that is a dangerous place to be. We must return to the passion and zeal of our first love.

I know all that you do, and I know that you are neither frozen in apathy nor fervent with passion. How I wish you were either one or the other! But because you are neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, I am about to spit you from my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16 (The Passion Translation, TPT)

Let’s seriously consider the spiritual state of our lives today. If our fire and love has grown cold, let’s stir ourselves up and give everything we have to pursue the Lord. We want to be able to say we’ve pressed in to follow Jesus; that we’ve given all for the cause of Christ. When we do, God will have a crown of righteousness waiting for us. So, let’s live all out and be all in for Him.