It’s funny how certain phrases that you hear just stick in your mind. My wife and I watched the movie Fireproof this weekend. (Which, by the way, if you haven’t seen yet I highly recommend!). One of the scenes of the movie has the main character talking with a friend of his who he knew was a Christian. The main character had just accepted Christ as his Saviour, and was stumbling to find a way to share this with his friend. He finally manages to tell his friend that he’d joined the team. His friend looks at him and says something to the effect of “have you completely joined? You can’t be part way in, you have to be all in.” I’m paraphrasing here, and obviously my recall leaves a bit to be desired, but the “all in” part really stuck in my mind.

It’s such a simple phrase, but filled with so much meaning! To be “all in” means that we are completely, 100%, and without reservation committed to that relationship with Christ. It means that this relationship is the most important thing in our lives, the one thing that is going to drive every thought, action, desire, relationship, decision, everything. It’s how our relationship with Christ is supposed to be.

How many of us, I wonder, are truly “all in”? How many of us have reached that point where we put serving Him above EVERYTHING in our lives? I know personally there have been times in my life when I’ve reached that point, and sadly there have been times when I’ve been “half in” or less. Unfortunately that seems to be true for most Christians that I know as well. That’s not meant to belittle myself or anyone else, it just seems to be the way things work in this life. But what if we could reach, and maintain, that level of “all in”?

I’ve been praying that God would continue to show me places in my life where I’m not as committed to Him as I need to be; to show me the things that are barriers that are keeping me from completely serving Him. You know the phrase “be careful what you wish for”? It’s certainly true in this situation. He’s definitely responded, and I find myself more challenged today than ever before. But that’s a good thing! It means that although I have a long way to go, at least I know for sure that God is continuing to work in my life.

Are you “all in”? Or are you sitting on the fence a little bit, holding back part of your life? I challenge you to really look at your service to Him, and ask Him to show you what area’s you need to work in, and then pray for the strength to be able to overcome those. Growth is scary sometimes, because we get comfortable in our routine, in our way of living. But growth is what this Christian Journey is all about! We just have to be willing to ask Him for guidance.

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