All or Nothing - Part 1

Today's blog topic comes from some reading I've been doing lately ... it has been a week since my last post. This wasn't intentional, I have a list of posts I want to write, it simply happened. However, in the time since my last post, this topic was placed on my heart and mind.

I read about the all or nothing attitude. It is an attitude we each must have if we are truly living in faith as Christians. Anything less, simply isn't trusting God.

You see this attitude throughout scripture.

Joshua and the Israelites demonstrated an all or nothing faith as they marched around Jericho for 7 straight days. These were impregnable walls, higher than any they had ever encountered. And God said simply march around the city, I (God) will bring the victory.

Imagine the excitement on the first day. Joy as they marched, expecting the miracle God had promised.

Now compare that to the disappointment when nothing happened.

Now stretch that out for another five days ... a total of six times they marched.

Combine that with the taunts and jeers of the residents of Jericho; those growing each day as the Israelites marched.

And each morning they got up and did it again. All or nothing. God had promised, and they marched in faith.

But to put this all in perspective, this was the generation that had grown up in the desert. These people had not crossed the Red Sea, had not witnessed the deliverance from Egypt, had not experienced God at Mount Sinai, had been witness to the death of the previous generation in the desert.

If any generation had a strong propensity to doubt, it was this generation.

Yet the faith of Joshua and the leaders helped the entire nation march.

And God showed up, on the seventh pass around the city on the seventh day, the walls fell down.

Or what about Elijah.

Elijah stood before the prophets of Baal, 450 of them, in an all or nothing challenge. Each team would build an alter, each team would then call out to their god to bring fire to consume the sacrifice. The god who burned the sacrifice would be the one, true God of Israel.

Now, this challenge wasn't issued in a time when things were great in Israel. The story is found in I Kings 18 in the Bible, and that chapter starts with, "A long time passed. Then God's word came to Elijah. The drought was now in its third year." (I Kings 18:1 - MSG)

In ancient times, when there was a drought, people believed it was punishment for sins. So in the midst of punishment, when all was about to be "lost" ... Elijah issues a challenge.

And to make sure it was "fair" he made sure the difficulty factor was skewed "against" him. Did you notice that? In the middle of a drought, in a face-to-face challenge, Elijah took the most difficult path to show God's power.

After allowing the opposing priests to call to their god all day, Elijah finally stepped up and said, OK, it is my turn.

But before I begin, I want everyone to know who my God truly is today. Cover everything with water. No, really cover it. Three times buckets of water were poured over Elijah's alter, covering the alter, the sacrifice, the wood, and filling a large trench around the alter. No fire existed, and the people knew it.

Only then, did Elijah begin to pray. And God showed up, consuming the sacrifice, the wood, the the stones for the alter, the dirt around the alter, and the water in the trench.

And there wasn't a guy standing on the sideline with matches and some flammable products; it was Elijah and his all or nothing faith in God.

So as you wake up each day, ask God what He is asking you to face with all or nothing faith. What area of your life requires you stand in the face of certain defeat, staring into the void; yet standing fearless because God is right there with you? How can you further God's kingdom here on earth today with your all or nothing faith?

All or nothing. It isn't something we are comfortable doing, isn't something we are even comfortable considering, especially as American's who have so many comforts. Yet the most impact for God's kingdom comes when we step forward in faith; all or nothing.

God does it all, when we offer Him our nothing.