ALL IN

I love that I get the open forum to talk with people about their faith, the bible, Christianity, life ETC.. The other day I had a conversation with a friend about a verse in the bible where Christ comes across as being pretty insensitive. The verse is Matthew Chapter 8 verse 21-22:  21 another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead. [f]”

    You might read this and say WOAH Jesus eat a snickers you are grumpy when you are hungry. But we need to read this in context and also understand that Christ knows our hearts and where we stand in our thoughts. Jesus was taking a moment to let us know when he calls he wants us to be all in, this may seem like a drastic case but it serves a point for the crowd that was following that hey if you want to truly be my disciple I need all of you, don’t worry of things of this world put all of your energy into what matters most, giving us an eternal perspective. 

     In Luke chapter 9:23-26 he gives us more instructions of what we need to do is we are going to follow him her says, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.25 and what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of my message, and me the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God.” We are called to take this approach to deny ourselves, to pick up our cross daily and understand that yes, daily I need to be restored by Christ and humbled, I do this by lifting up this heavy cross that I cannot carry alone, but only by the grace of God to I get a chance and redemption, and only through Christ may I have a life that is eternal. Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Ultimately we cant be all in if we are stuck on things of this world, we aren’t able to be, I don't want to hold on to something I cant take with me and lose something that I will have for forever.

     Christ wants us all in, and as we take this journey further the next month or so we are going to learn that when we go all in we have nothing to fear because God has already dealt us a winning hand. 

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