Take it or leave it. Sink or swim. Make or break. Take no prisoners. No holds barred. No pain, no gain. All of these idioms express a similar idea to what today celebrates according to the National Day calendar. This is National All Or Nothing Day.
You’ve been holding back, afraid to take a chance at something. You’re scared to seek a promotion or different job. The thought of trying to make amends with someone terrifies you. You’ve held back your efforts, afraid of making a mistake or falling flat on your face. Well, today is the day – according to the calendar – to just go for broke and to follow the slogan of the Nike brand: Just Do It!
Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me. – Carol Burnett
Not exactly known as a great theologian, Carol Burnett has stumbled upon a partial truth. GOD changes lives but quite often, it’s based upon decisions I’ve made for my life to be different.
The Bible is full of choices we must make. They are all or nothing choices. God gives us the ability to make these bold choices. As we do, HE changes our lives.
Salvation – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Believing in Jesus is an all or nothing. You can’t say, “I trust His plan of salvation AND…” There is no and. It’s the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, period. Nothing added. Nothing subtracted. Faith in anything else is a faith in “another gospel” that condemns rather than saves according to Galatians 1:8-9.
Surrender – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not
conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1-2) Nobody can make this decision for me. I must present myself as this living sacrifice. By definition, a sacrifice is an all or nothing event.
Separation – Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. (2 Corinthians 6:17) Have we decided to come out or are we still trying to straddle the fence? Total separation is what the Lord requires of us as we live out our new life in Christ.
Service – And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15) How have you chosen to serve the Lord?
Obedience – I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19) The context of the passage is about the blessings of obedience and the curse of disobedience. God wants us to be TOTALLY obedient, not partially. Parents, don’t you expect that from your kids? Why would we think the Heavenly Father expects less?
Joy – Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4) Can anyone legitimately say, “I’m partially joyful and partially miserable.” If it were possible, the misery would tend to crowd out the joy.
Choices must be made in our life for Christ. He wants us wholly and undivided. When we give Him our all, He makes changes in our lives that are unbelievable. As the hymn says, will we “surrender all?”
As we close today’s devotional, think about the truth of two final verses expressed by Paul. Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” And Paul said in Philippians 3:8, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”
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