All In

We go all in for a business venture, all in for a romantic relationship, and all in for sports. While some have made following Jesus a half-hearted pursuit or a part-time commitment, being a disciple of Jesus has always been a call to go all in.

Jesus said the only way to follow Him was to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. In short, Jesus said you have to go all in. This is the great commandment. We are to love God with everything that we are and all that we have. It isn't a command to love God with part of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. It is a command to love God with everything.

The work of God in our world for the transformation of our generation demands that we go all in as followers of Jesus. We must trust in Him with all our heart. We must rely totally on His wisdom and understanding. In everything we plan and do, we must go all in to submit to Him and His ways. Only then will He make our paths straight and advance and accomplish His mission in and through us.

Are you all in?

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Praise the God who went all in for us so that we can be all in with Him.
2.  Celebrate the price Jesus paid at the cross to go all in to the Father's will to purchase our ransom.
3.  Ask God to reveal any area of your life that doesn't have a white flag staked in it.
4.  Choose to go all in today in whatever way God asks you to do so.

Make Us a City of Light

Jesus is the Light of the World. In Him is life and His life is the light of all people. When He entered into the world, darkened by disobedience and rebellion, the Light shone into the darkness and the darkness could not understand it. The darkness even sought to extinguish the Light by putting Jesus to death on the cross. But the grave could not hold Him and darkness could not put out the Light.

By the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Peter says we have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Christ died once for all to rescue us out of darkness and convey us into His kingdom. Now as His followers, Jesus teaches that we are to be a city of light. He taught that His disciples are a city set on a hill to shine the light of Christ and the gospel into a dark world. 

Being a city of light includes living in such a way as to display to the world what life can be when individuals surrender to worship and obey Jesus Christ. Jesus' followers are anything but perfect. But the unfortunate truth is that the church has often struggled to be a light to the world. We either have hidden our light from the world, we have run from the darkness in fear, or we have simply looked and lived more like those outside of the kingdom of God than those who ruled and rescued by Jesus Christ.

God has made you, re-made you in Jesus Christ, and placed you where you are today. You are there as a Jesus-follower to display what life in Jesus Christ looks like. You are there as a Jesus-follower to declare how life in Jesus Christ is received. 

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Celebrate that Jesus is the Light of the World and that His light never dims or goes out.

2.  Give thanks that the full assault of darkness on Jesus Christ could not extinguish His life or light.

3.  Thank God for calling you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

4.  Pray that God will make you a city of light.

5.  Ask Jesus to make clear specific ways you can display and declare His light to the world beginning right where you are today.