All-In Faith

Matthew 13:44-52:

Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”

Blog:

You may have heard someone say (or, perhaps you’ve said it yourself), “I’m all-in.”  Going “all-in” is when you are so sure of the outcome and/or the purpose of what lies in front of you, that you are willing to risk 100% of whatever you’ve got to be a part of it.  That’s what Jesus is talking about in the Gospel here.  Whether it’s finding treasure in a field, a pearl of great price, or some other worldly example, going “all-in” for Jesus is what being “born-again” is all about.  But Jesus doesn’t end there.  He goes on to say that there is a great Haul coming at the end of the age where His Angels will separate the wicked from the righteous; and, the Good Fish go in the “Buckets” [Heaven] and the wicked fish go into the “fiery furnace” [Hell].  We see this same kind of warning in Revelation 3:15-16 when He tells the Church in Laodicea, “I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! So because you are lukewarm— neither hot nor cold— I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!”  You see, God is Casting a net around all of us right now.  Jesus is the Head of a “Household” [Heaven] Who brings from His storeroom both the new and the old.  That includes Believers and non-believers; for example – Catholics, Protestants (Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians etc.), Orthodox, and Non-Denominational Christians, non-Christian sects (including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc.), and atheists, agnostics, and beyond.  His Message and Love are for everyone and they are “free” to us all.  And, whether He’s casting His net through blogs like this one or one of the other Infinite Ways that He reaches-out to us, He is constantly trying to bring all of His Children back to Him.  He will never stop reaching-out to us.  So, what’s the harm in reaching-back to Him?  Why not Believe in Him, let Him into our heart, and surrender to His Will and Plan for our lives?  Love and Kindness cost us nothing to share, but not having them through a relationship with Jesus could cost us everything.  So, let’s go “all-in” for Him like He went “all-in” for us on the Cross at Calvary.