By Josh Kerby
One day Jesus was asked what the most important law was and He responded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your Heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Jesus didn’t say with part of your heart, a little of your soul, and some of your mind, He asks for it ALL. We can’t simply say we are followers of Christ; we have to be followers of Christ. When Jesus came to earth to save us, He gave it all. He jumped in and took the weight of the world’s sin on His shoulders. This gracious act of love should cause us to long to follow Him wholeheartedly! But what does it look like to be all in for Christ?
On our river trips, we take people to a rock where they can jump off into the river. Some people are very eager to jump in and some are not. Sometimes jumping from a great height into a river scares people, which got me thinking: Do we do this in our lives as well? Do we not jump into something because of fear? Maybe it’s because we are stubborn and simply don’t want to. I know one thing for sure; those that didn’t jump off the rock are missing out.
When it comes to jumping off the rock, you either do it, or you don’t. There is no such thing as partially jumping in. You either commit, or you don’t. As Yoda would say, “Do or do not, there is no try.” I think this is very true in life, but this is even more true in our spiritual lives. When it comes to Jesus He wants us all in. If we are going to follow Him, He wants us to commit fully. There is no such thing as partially following Him.
Let’s take a look at one of my favorite movie characters and what going all in looked like to him. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo was willing to take the One Ring to Mount Doom and destroy it at all costs, even to death. Frodo did this because He didn’t want the rest of Middle Earth to be overrun by Sauron, the antagonist. Jesus asks us to follow Him with everything we have, even if that leads to death. If you’ve ever watched The Lord of the Rings, you know Middle Earth would be destroyed unless someone stepped up to the task. Frodo, a simple Hobbit in Middle Earth, takes this enormous task and heads out on a great quest. Jesus asks the same of us: that no matter what our social status is we set out on the ultimate quest. This road isn’t easy, but it is well worth it. It wasn’t easy for Frodo, but again, it was worth it.
Whatever is holding you back from pursuing a lifelong relationship with Jesus is minuscule to the strength we receive from God. Joshua 1:9 says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” We have the Creator of the universe, by our side, guiding us on this quest. I want to share with you one more quote from the movie Inception, “Don’t you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone?” Don’t let fear get in the way of the life Jesus is calling you to. Don’t let regret, stubbornness or your history prevent you from giving it all. God’s grace is sufficient and overwhelming. So let’s take that leap of faith and jump in together. Let’s go all in for Jesus.
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