New to FriendlyChristian.com? Check out the FAQ page to learn about the site. Wondering who the heck I am? The My Story page is a great place to start. Thanks for stopping by!
Click here to subscribe via RSS.
Click here to have posts delivered by email.
This message will automatically disappear after your 3rd visit.
It’s so easy to say we trust God. I. Trust. God. Simple - three small words.
But when is the last time you went all in…pushed all your chips into the center of the table.
“It’s all or nothing, God.” Kinda like this “crazy” story.
It doesn’t make sense. You can think of a million reasons why you shouldn’t do it. “This probably isn’t God,” you might convince yourself.
Join me in letting God prove he’s God. Remember this promise.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Loading ...
Bill, my (ex-)pastor used the ‘all in’ illustration once in a sermon - here’s the excerpt:
He was talking about ’salvation’ and I think you’re talking about trusting God in your life in general - same illustration though…
Anyway so are you advocating child sacrifice? I’m guessing not, so - what does going ‘all in’ look like in your life?
was that promise made to you and I?
Hi Helen. Speaking very generally, for me going “all in” is when I prayerfully put all of my eggs into the God basket. More specifically, I did it when I separated from the military, when I moved here to Charleston, and when I left my career to go back to school.
So far I’ve yet to be disappointed when I’ve gone all in. I’m usually pretty hesitant to do it, though, since I like to be in complete control of my life at all times.
@Brett…
I’m glad you wrote this comment. See, I’m usually the first person to say exactly what you just said: why do we take bible verses that were intended for a specific person/group, in a specific time, for a specific reason, and apply them to our lives?
I still can’t help but feel like God would make the same promise to me, though.
Thank you for calling me out on this. I’d like to hear your two cents!
If being ordered to kill your own son as a burnt offering is only a “crazy” story, what the heck does it take for a story do be crazy without quotes?
I remember being taught this lesson in Sunday school and looking around like I was surrounded by insane people. I’m supposed to admire the man willing to murder his own son? And the authority ordering it?
Helen, FWIW, your preacher was wrong on several parts about going all-in. For one thing, you can win in high-stakes poker without ever going all-in as long as you have the chip lead. Second, going all-in doesn’t necessarily mean you think you have the best hand. Chris Moneymaker famously went all-in with the worst hand against Sammy Farha because he thought Farha wouldn’t call him and he was right. Third, you don’t turn over your cards unless you’re called.
(I’m a small-time poker nerd.)
Thanks for responding Bill. Jeremiah 29:11 is a sort of pet-peeve verse for me because of how casually I see it used by Christians, which leads to misunderstanding.
What promises has God made to the Christian? Are they similar to the one made to the nation of Israel in Jer. 29? That answer comes largely down to how the reader interprets “prosper”. The promise to the exiled nation was that of land and material well-being, and I suspect many Christians interpret it the same way; “God wants me to be happy and have nice things.” I don’t believe a case can be made for that kind of promise in the New Testament and for Christians. If so, Paul must have been pretty angry with God when he wrote 2 Corinthians 11.
Thank you for your time, and I hope I have not come across rude, I just don’t want people thinking God lied to them when they find that life is often very difficult and trying.