All In
"For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life"
Jonn 3:16
Watching the Olympics always reminds me of my dad. He enjoyed the sport of track and field as a competitor and coach and official. He was a “starter” for many NCAA Division 1 track meets and even the Olympic Trials during his day. He even served as an infield event official during the 1988 Olympics in Los Angeles. Growing up my siblings and I heard countless stories and learned many life lessons from our father using sports as the metaphor. I can’t even recall all the real life examples my dad shared over the years where an athlete was defeated simply by quitting too soon. Our dad would remind us kids often, “run through the tape” and “always do your very best” and not just in track but in everything we set out to do.
My dad told me more than once in my life, “Michael, I don’t care what place you come in. All I care is that you always do your best. I will be more proud of you if you come in last place but give 100% than if you win but only give 50%.” My dad tried to live by a simple philosophy in life, “All In”. Are you aware thats what God wants you and I to be too, “All In”. I was reminded of this truth the other day when I read a statement on marriage that said, “Marriage is not 50-50. Divorce is 50-50. Marriage has to be 100-100. It’s not dividing everything in half, but giving everything you’ve got.” In other words the author was saying a winning marriage is one where both husband and wife are “All In”.
In all fairness it makes no difference if you are married or single. The best relationships are realized when everyone involved makes a commitment to go “All In”. After all, isn’t that what Jesus did for me and you when He went to the Cross? God went “All In” when He gave us His Son to die for us. You can’t go any more “in” than to lay down your life for the benefit of another. Consider your own relationships today and your commitment level to them. Don’t worry about how committed everyone else is to you, in the spirit of the Olympics, live by the “GOLDen” rule and just make sure you are “All In” and giving 100% of your best energy to all you do. In the end you will be happy you do regardless of what place you come in. One day we all will receive a prize from the Lord for how well we ran our own race, so remember to keep your eyes on Jesus today as He is both the reward and the rewarder for those who are running to win, to those who go “All In”.
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.”
1 Corinthians 9:24–25
I LOVE YOU!
Jonn 3:16
Watching the Olympics always reminds me of my dad. He enjoyed the sport of track and field as a competitor and coach and official. He was a “starter” for many NCAA Division 1 track meets and even the Olympic Trials during his day. He even served as an infield event official during the 1988 Olympics in Los Angeles. Growing up my siblings and I heard countless stories and learned many life lessons from our father using sports as the metaphor. I can’t even recall all the real life examples my dad shared over the years where an athlete was defeated simply by quitting too soon. Our dad would remind us kids often, “run through the tape” and “always do your very best” and not just in track but in everything we set out to do.
My dad told me more than once in my life, “Michael, I don’t care what place you come in. All I care is that you always do your best. I will be more proud of you if you come in last place but give 100% than if you win but only give 50%.” My dad tried to live by a simple philosophy in life, “All In”. Are you aware thats what God wants you and I to be too, “All In”. I was reminded of this truth the other day when I read a statement on marriage that said, “Marriage is not 50-50. Divorce is 50-50. Marriage has to be 100-100. It’s not dividing everything in half, but giving everything you’ve got.” In other words the author was saying a winning marriage is one where both husband and wife are “All In”.
In all fairness it makes no difference if you are married or single. The best relationships are realized when everyone involved makes a commitment to go “All In”. After all, isn’t that what Jesus did for me and you when He went to the Cross? God went “All In” when He gave us His Son to die for us. You can’t go any more “in” than to lay down your life for the benefit of another. Consider your own relationships today and your commitment level to them. Don’t worry about how committed everyone else is to you, in the spirit of the Olympics, live by the “GOLDen” rule and just make sure you are “All In” and giving 100% of your best energy to all you do. In the end you will be happy you do regardless of what place you come in. One day we all will receive a prize from the Lord for how well we ran our own race, so remember to keep your eyes on Jesus today as He is both the reward and the rewarder for those who are running to win, to those who go “All In”.
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.”
1 Corinthians 9:24–25
I LOVE YOU!
Recent
Archive
2024
January
February
How To Make Good DecisionsI Hope You DanceMove The FenceWON BY ONEWeeds or Wishes?It's PersonalDefining MomentsTake My HandThink On These ThingsYou Are God's ValentineYour Personal Love StoryA Better WayOne Extraordinary LifeAn Incentive To PrayFollow The LeaderCheck For LeaksHindsight or Foresight?The Antidote For HurtGod Hurts TooBe The MiracleWhen A Gift Becomes A Gift
March
The Power Of A Single TearLive Like You Were DyingMore Than A FeelingThe Good LifeBecoming A Rock CollectorAll You Need And MoreWhen One Is Not A Lonely NumberLove HurtsMore Than A FeelingMake A DifferenceQuit Chasing CarrotsWhom Are You Fetching For?Loves Got A Pull On MeI Can't Help MyselfYou"re Never AloneBreakfast By The Sea
April
"And Peter"Lessons From A HummingbirdInner BeautyEaster Every DayWhat's Your Price?Love Will Find A WayThe NudgeThe Secret To A Happy HeartOne Extraordinary LifeSquirrelJesus Gardening ServiceYour Pain, Their GainI Am ChristianBe A TrekkieThe Sounds of SilenceI See JesusDamned If I Do, Blessed If I Don'tA Promise Not A Coin TossHe Reads You Like A Love StoryStones of RemembranceAnd The Barney Goes To...
May
Finish StrongGood and TiredBecause of Her I CanI'll Trade YouDon't Ask Why, Ask What?The LongingWhen, Not IfThis IS The DayKeep The Main Thing The Main ThingI Am My Lovers And My Lover Is MineI Choose JesusTrust Your GardenerIt's A Race To The BottomHow To Thrive In The End TimesOne For ALLHow To Be MiseralbleStay Hungry My FriendsThe Secret To SkinnyNever ForgottenThat Someone SpecialDelete Your DistractionsForgiveness Goes On and OnThe Things We Do For Love
Categories
no categories