Decision Time
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to decide…
Am I going to go all in?
OR…
Am I going to cash out?
When I was growing up I loved watching western movies with my dad. And it seemed like in every film, there was always a saloon. And in every saloon there was always a card game.
During every card game there always came a point when the main character had to decide… Am I going to go all in or am I going to cash out and walk away? It was always a dramatic moment when they would push all their chips into the center of the table and go all in.
All In Moments
You’ve probably had these moments…
Is he the one? Is she the one? Am I going to propose and go all in with this person come what may?
Then there’s the job opportunity. Is this the right fit? The right place? Right people? Company? I’m going to go all in?
Maybe it’s buying that first house. Or that first car. Or another major expense or big investment. At some point you have to make the decision to take the leap of faith or walk away.
In many ways life is a series of choices. And the trajectory of our lives is determined by those moments when we decided to go all in and when we decided to walk away.
All In and Running Low
That’s what I think about when I read this story in Matthew 15. I shared this story from a different angle before, but at some point these people who had been with Jesus for three days had to make a decision. Here’s what Matthew writes…
“Then Jesus called his disciples and told them, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way.” – Matthew 15.32
What do you do when you’ve gone all in with Jesus and now it seems like you’re running out of whatever it is you need to keep going?
After three days it’s time to make the long trip home. Only, what about provisions for the trip? There’s no 7-eleven on the way. No Chick-Fil-A at the next exit.
At some point, these people had to think, “We’re running low on supplies, we should head back.” At some point you know the mom looked at the dad and said, “We’ve got these kids to feed and we’re running low on food. We need to head home!”
But at some point they decided, whatever Jesus was doing, whatever he was saying, it was so compelling they couldn’t leave. They had to stay and see. They had to stay and listen.
This crowd, now thousands in number, had never seen anyone like Jesus. And they were willing to risk it all just to be near him.
Trusting in Unseen Provisions
At the same time there came a point when Jesus had to think… had to realize… “These people are running low on provisions. They should probably head home.”
But at some point Jesus thought, “No. I’m only here a short time. And they need to see this. They need to hear this.”
“If they have eyes to see, if they have ears to hear, if they come to believe, they could change the world.”
And somewhere along the way Jesus knew, if these people stayed with him even when they realized they should return home, if these people had the faith to trust him even when it didn’t make sense, if these people trusted him and in provisions that were unseen instead of themselves and a provision, or lack of provision, that they could see, then they would have an opportunity to see the power of God in a whole new way.
They would be a part of a story of faith + provision that would last forever.
Left Early
Have you ever left a game before it was over because you thought it was over, but… it wasn’t over? I remember leaving a baseball game one time in the 8th inning because our team was losing and we thought it was over. Half way to the car in the parking lot, we heard the fireworks go off when our team hit a home run that changed the game!
You have to imagine that some who had been with Jesus during those three days left early because they realized they didn’t have enough food to stay any longer. Can you imagine what it must have been like when they learned from friends who stayed what had happened?
“You weren’t there on the third day?”
“No, we had to get back. We were low on bread and just barely made it home with what little provisions we had.”
“You’re kidding, right? You didn’t stay? Do you know what happened? Did you hear what Jesus did?”
“Um, no. What? What are you talking about?”
“We were all just about out of food! That’s when Jesus took seven loaves of bread and a few fish, blessed it, and then his disciples passed it out. And it never ran out. All of us had more than enough. In fact, there were left overs! 4000 of us ate and were completely satisfied, not counting the women and kiddos! There was a superabundance of food! I can’t believe you missed it!”
Sometimes we do this. We cash out and walk away right before the miracle happens. We’re running low on whatever it is we need. If we just had eyes to see that when we go all in with Jesus, we’ll have more than enough.
Jesus once said… “I AM the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.” – John 6.35.
Have you gone all in with Jesus?
At some point, maybe you made that decision. But what about now? Today? This week? Are you depending on your meager provisions or in the super abundance of God?
The cross is the greatest reminder that we can go all in with God. Why? Because God through Jesus went all in for us!
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