Going All In

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV)

When it comes to your faith and your pursuit of God, how are you doing? Are you giving it your all? Or are you approaching your faith like a limp fish – soft, squishy and not fully committed?

Jesus reminds us of the greatest command originally found in Deuteronomy. He tells us to give our ALL – all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. We can’t do it half-way. We have to go all in!

Early in the career of baseball legend, Pete Rose, he hit a pitch that led to an easy out. Rose knew this as soon as the ball left his bat. Instead of running it out at full speed to get to first base, he essentially walked from home plate towards first until the out was official before he retreated off the field to the dugout. After the game, Rose’s father found Pete and scolded him for failing to give it his all. Following this conversation, Rose hustled every play, and he soon became known as Charlie Hustle. In other words, he gave it his all – he went all in when it came to playing the game of baseball. Pete Rose went on to set the record for the most hits by any player in Major League Baseball history.

As fathers, we carry a significant responsibility. We point our children in the direction they will one day travel, and we set an example for them to follow as they become adults and possibly parents. In order to carry out this responsibility – in order to do our jobs well, we must go all in when it comes to following Jesus. Our whole lives depend on it!

Are you ready to go all in?

Father, I want to follow you with everything I have. Show me your ways. Teach me your truths. Redirect me when I let other things come in the way of going all in with you.