Worship

“All In” by Jesus Culture and Brett Lee Miller

Scripture

“Saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”” -Revelation 5:12, ESV

“But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.’ But he said, ‘Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.’ Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses…” -Exodus 4:10-14a, ESV

A Sobering Reflection

Warning: This was not an easy devotional to write, nor is it an easy devotional to read.

The words of this devotional today were spurred on from this new worship song by Jesus Culture:

“A yes to God is dangerous / But You’re worth it / I’m all in / You’re calling, calling / Here I am, I’m all in, all in / Take everything, You’re worth it, worth it / Wherever You lead me, I will follow”

Is He Worth it?

Is He worth it? It’s the question of the hour. For many of us, it wasn’t the question when we received salvation and the promise of eternity with Him forever. But as Jesus moves in and takes more ground in our life, we are faced with this tough question: Is He worth it? One stone turned over at a time.

When He asks for more of our lives, is He worth it? When you scan the landscape of your whole life and all that has been entrusted to you, do these so-called treasures carry greater worth than Him? This is a question I am pondering and processing with the Lord as I look at the totality of my life. Is there anything or anyone in my life that holds more worth than Him?

“Jesus is in every way a Bridegroom. That is why He is not satisfied with mere slavish obedience. He desires our heart, our total dedication. As our Bridegroom He asks, ‘How much am I worth to you? How much are you ready to sacrifice for Me? For love of Me can you give Me your loved ones—children, parents, friends? Can you give me your home and country if I ask for these? Are you willing to comfort me in this way? Will you go anywhere I call you in order to save souls? Can you sacrifice your prestige, your strength, your longing to be loved, your deepest secret wishes—for love of Me?” -Basilea Schlink, “My All for Him”

Let’s just lift the hood on this, shall we?

Is He worth your vacation time to follow Him where He calls you to go? He was willing to give His life so the lost could come home. Could we give Him a week of our four weeks of vacation? What if He asks for all four?

Is He worth your finances? He has given you what you have needed. He has also supplied His people with abundance so we could expand the Kingdom. Do you spend it all on you, or have you followed Him into sacrificial love?

If your children want to become missionaries, is He worth it? They won’t have high paying jobs, but they will follow Him to the ends of the Earth. Will you support that?

If He asks you to lay aside 30% of your income (instead of 10%) to build His Kingdom, is He worth it?

Is He worth getting rid of the busy in your life to pick up your calling and go with Him His way?

Is He worth keeping your vows you made to Him when you first fell in love with Him?

Is He worth “wasting” your time in His presence, to sit at His feet and become more like Him? Is He worth that? Or do Netflix, novels, and podcasts seem more rewarding and educating?

If He asked you to downsize your home to create margin and capacity in your life, is He worth that?

Is He worth your sobriety for a life of holiness and righteousness?

The Call to Global Mission

I would dare to estimate that the Church has been more resourced with provision right now than ever in history. And two paths lie before us—we either go or we send. There’s not a third option as it pertains to the gospel of Jesus and the world He died for. We have all the resources to reach the world with the gospel, but somehow we also have a million reasons to spend and busy ourselves with everything else (known as the “captivity of activity”). It comes down to the question of our lives: Is He worth it? Or does everything else that brings us temporary fulfillment and pleasure take greater value? It’s a heart issue, and I’m looking at my own heart as I write this to you. And quite honestly, it’s causing repentance to rise up in me.

I was recently asked to go to a country in the Middle East that is not the safest of all the places I could go. My husband was a little taken aback but was emphatic that I need to go. Is my life so precious to me that it’s worth preserving, or is my obedience to Jesus more important? (Tough question!) If I were to die for the gospel, is He worth it? Or is my safety and family and my self-preservation more important? We have to wrestle deeply with these things because they will either hold us back or free us to run with faith and focus.

One day we are going to be on our faces before Jesus, crying out with all of Heaven, “Worthy is the Lamb.” We will sing it with our entire being. Why are we waiting for Heaven to declare His worth when we can worship Him now in our sacrifice, obedience, and faithfulness? If we don’t believe He is worth it now, we will store up barns of treasures, live for today and not eternity, and waste all He has placed in your hands on earthly endeavors rather than Kingdom exploits.

A Prayer for Renewed Devotion

Lord, turn it all around. Take our finances, our vacation time, our spending, our priorities, our desires, our homes, our occupations, our families and turn it around. Don’t let us waste our lives living for us, Jesus. Unravel our heart priorities, and counsel each one of us today to be all in, nothing reserved and nothing held back. When You call us like You called Moses and we have a list of great excuses why we need to say no, Lord, don’t back down. Move Your people into radical faithfulness in this hour so the world will have an encounter with Jesus!

“Love is costly and requires more than mere kindness. Jesus was not just a first-century do-gooder whose ultimate aim was to spread good cheer and congeniality. Rather, he announced himself as the Way, Truth, and Life. He compelled his followers to live life in light of eternity, submitting to his kingdom’s righteous standards. He called for and required complete surrender to God’s will, and demonstrated true sacrifice when he ‘moved into the neighborhood’ to offer himself as the payment for humanity’s sins. We dare not dumb down the cost of loving God and loving our neighbor. It cost Christ his life. Shall it cost us any less?” -David Joannes, “Gospel Privilege”

Lost people are begging for a dying chance to experience Jesus and just don’t know it, and you are the one to bring it to them. Why? Because He is worth it. Lose your life, Church, so you can pick up the greater thing. We have little time left. No more excuses. He is worth it!