Giving It All You Got

As a coach, often throughout my career, I have relayed the charge to my athletes to go out there and "give it all you got". What I was asking for was for them to not leave anything in the reserve tank, go out and do everything in their body and soul to compete and hopefully win. In the classroom, those of us that work inside the world of education, can attest that they too have often used this phrase as students in their classes prepared for an exam or high stakes mandated test. I feel certain that "Give it your best", "Don't give up", or "Give me all you got" could be heard around the world in classrooms of all grade spans. We want this for our children, we want this for those we "coach" and teach, and we should definitely want this for ourselves. But what does that mean for us as we navigate our relationship with God? In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus explains what it means to "give it all you got" to a young man, which aptly fits today's Flat Tire Ministries Thought for the Week. 

 

Today's topic of giving it all you got hit home pretty hard with me today. We may feel like we are doing all we can because our schedules surely make us feel like we don't have anything else to give. Maybe it isn't time, could it be that we are holding back in another area beyond how we spend our time? Giving it your best can be applied to any area of your life. Do you give your best when it comes to giving of your tithes? Do you give it all you've got when it comes to your faith? How about your commitment to fulfilling God's design for the life He gave you to live? In Matthew 19 we read the story of a rich man who wanted to know what he needed to do to gain eternal life. The wealthy, young man thought he had done all that he needed to do to earn a seat in Heaven, Jesus explained it a bit different. 

 

Everyone's "giving it all you got" thing is different. The area where you need to step up is most likely different from my area and my area is probably different from the next. It all depends on where you are holding back. The rich, young man in Matthew 19:16-22 seemed to be doing everything right, that is until Jesus explained what the man needed to personally do. At first glance it appeared the well to do young man was knocking it out of the park but, "... a man stopped Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.” The man asked, “What in particular?” Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself.” The young man said, “I’ve done all that. What’s left?”  “If you want to give it all you’ve got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.” That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go. (Matthew 19:16-22) The wealthy man was under the impression that if he committed his life to following God's commands then surely, he would inherit eternal life, but in reality, he hadn't committed everything to God. He was holding back in the one area that he just didn't want to give control over to God. For this young man, his wealth was his true god. Jesus commanded him to give everything away, not just the areas that are easy for us, but in all areas of life. When the young man was asked to give it all he had literally, he turned away with his material possessions in tow and turned his back on God. 

 

It isn't always clearly evident what you or I may be unintentionally holding out on when it comes to serving God. Could it be your time is split? What about service to others? Service equals time and giving of our time sacrificially can be a challenge. Maybe it is your finances, our society encourages us to borrow and create debt which in turn makes us a slave to our money. Or, we become so obsessed with material possessions that we forgo giving, instead focusing on self. Whatever it is that God asks you to give it all to Him, we have to make the decision to submit it to the One it belongs to in the first place, or we will decide to withhold the one thing that creates a wall between you and the One that offers us eternal life. My advice to self-included,

“Give it all you got!”

Coach Carter