I was playing Texas Hold 'Em at Jeff Hylton's house with a bunch of other guys.  I had a good hand - two pair.  And then the dealer flipped another card and it was the same as one of the pairs.  It gave me a full house.  At that point I looked around the table at the other players.  Some had folded.  I thought to myself, "I bet I've got the best hand at the table."

And so I did what Jesus asks every follower of his to do with his life, I went "all in."  I took every last chip and moved it to the middle of the table.  I bet everything on that hand.*

Jesus tells a parable about a man plowing a field who found a treasure.  He sold everything he had to buy the field and get the treasure.  In other words, he went all in.  Jesus compares us to that farmer and the treasure he compares to the kingdom of God.**

At some point in life we stumble across the kingdom of God.  We have the opportunity at that point to reprioritize our life and leave the former things behind.  We sense that it's worth it, but we have to go and actually make the exchange in our hearts, freeing ourselves up to follow Jesus without encumbrances.

The question to you and me is, have we gone all in?  Have we let loose of those things in our lives that we prized?  Have we prioritized the kingdom of God?

How loosely do you hold your home, your family, your career, and your stuff?  Today's a good day to go all in.
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*The illustration falls apart after that: I ended up losing the hand to someone who had a straight flush.

**Matt 13:44