Volume 41: All Or Nothing

ALL OR NOTHING

God does not want to simply be a part of your life. He will only accept being Lord over your life.

That distinction matters.

Many people are willing to give God a place in their lives. We have our careers, relationships, ambitions, money, entertainment, plans—and then somewhere among all of that, we make room for God. We pray when we need Him, worship when it is convenient, and obey as long as obedience does not interfere with something else we really want.

But God has never asked for a place on the list. He demands the throne.

God told Israel plainly, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). He then explained why: “For I the LORD thy God am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5).

God’s jealousy is not insecurity. It is His refusal to share the worship, devotion, and authority that rightfully belong to Him with anyone or anything else.

Jesus taught the same principle: “No man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24).

Notice that Jesus did not say serving two masters would be difficult. He said it cannot be done.

This is where Christianity becomes more than believing that Jesus exists. Jesus asked, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Calling Him Lord means giving Him the right to govern us.

That means He is Lord over my relationships. Lord over my money. Lord over my body. Lord over my choices. Lord over what I watch and listen to, what I say, where I go, how I treat people, and what I do when nobody else is watching.

There cannot be a room in my life where Jesus stands outside the door, or even in the doorway.

Paul said that Christ “died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living” (Romans 14:9).

Jesus did not die merely to become part of our lives. He died and rose again as Lord.

So the question today is not simply, “Is God in my life?”

The deeper question is, “Is there anything in my life that I have refused to put under His authority?”

Because if He is truly Lord, He cannot merely be Lord of some. He must be Lord of all.

And that is why Paul writes, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

God is not asking us to give Him a part of our lives. He is asking us to place the whole life on the altar.