The All-In Moment

In a perfect poker tournament, the winner might never have to go all-in. That player would slowly build a chip stack into a dominating position, then put others all-in victoriously.

But really now - can you think of any tournaments where that's happened? We'd guess it's a rare occurrence. Part of the drama in poker is that big stacks meet bigger stacks, and small stacks can take down big ones.

Away from the table, though, we'd like to ask: How many times have you gone all-in?  As in risking everything you have on something, with no guarantee of success?

You may have done it without realizing it - such as taking a spouse in marriage or buying a house. Those moments likely can be scary. Yet that's what God wants all of us to do, for Him.

God, whom I serve with my whole heart in Preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness.... Romans 1:9

The apostle Paul declared he was not half-hearted. No minimum bets here. His whole heart was all-in. He went on to write....

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. - I Corinthians 15:58

Note how we're supposed to give ourselves - fully, not holding back anything. Some churches put it this way: Is your "all" on the altar?

To help you, well, more fully understand this, we offer a Bible study called "All-In." If you think the speaker is going to bring up poker right away.... well, listen to it. You might be surprised.