All In!

 Carp's Daily Tidbits

"Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

Date: Monday, March 9, 2015

Today's Title: All In!

Today's Scripture: John 6:8-9

Friday! It was finally here and Jim was so excited.  Tonight was the company’s charity poker night when the employees would gather to raise money for several worthy causes to help those less fortunate who lacked shelter, clothing, or something to eat.  If Jim had had his way, they would have done this every Friday evening; not playing poker, but raising money to help others.  Jim, as well as several of his friends, thrived on doing this.

At seven o’clock sharp the festivities began.  Jim took his usual place at the large round table in the center of the room.  He was joined by nine other members of his office and, of course, his old nemesis in the game sat right across from him.  Sam worked just two cubicles down from Jim and they were the best of friends.  However, when it came to poker, they were bitter rivals. 

The company had been holding these events for the last eight years and during that time both Jim and Sam had won the poker championship four times each. So the competition this evening was particularly spirited. All week they had bragged how one of them would trounce the other underfoot, raising more money than ever before.  Now the time was at hand to see just whose claim would prove to be true.

The game began and progressed slowly with all the players carefully sizing up the competition.   It didn’t take long, however, for Jim and Sam to take charge.  They exchanged a few hands with Jim winning some and Sam taking the rest.  But as the game proceeded toward the final hand, things grew serious.

Finally, the two men remained at the table with everyone else having folded.  The stack of chips in the table’s center was huge and the entire room held its breath as Jim made his final move.  He took one glance at this cards and shoved his remaining chips to the center of the table and shouted out, “All in!.”  Everyone’s attention was focused on Jim because he had just bet it all, everything he had on one card, betting that his decision would result in meeting the needs of so many.

Ok, ok, just hold on a minute!  What does a poker game have to do with today’s devotional?  Well, let’s look at the life of a small boy who went all in to help so many others.  There is more application in our story than you may realize.

In John 6:8-9 we read the following passage, “Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"  You want to talk about a gamble?  Here was a small boy, whose name we do not and will never know.  Yet, because of him five thousand people ate to their fill and there was an abundance left over. 

There are two quick truths in this brief statement by Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  First, this small boy seemed to be the only one prepared that day.  The disciples weren’t and they spent time with Jesus every day but that is a topic for another Tidbit.  Notice also that Simon doesn’t believe this small investment will ever meet the present needs of all the people.

However, the little boy went all in, giving Jesus all he had, holding nothing back, never questioning, never hesitating, and never doubting.  He simply pushed his chips to the center of the table and said, “I’m all in!”

The results of his investment were incredible.  Jesus took those five small loaves and two fish and fed five thousand men, not counting women and children, with twelve basketfuls left over.  What that small boy did that day is still producing results in our time.  What an investment!  What a reward for going all in!

Are you living your life today as this small lad?  Are you serving the Lord with everything you have, holding nothing back?  Are you, like this boy and Jim, all in?  If we are not all in, we are being left out!  By the way, Jim won the game!  Let’s go all in today!