All In. John 12: 37-50

John 12 NLT
The Unbelief of the People 
37 But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him. 38 This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: “LORD, who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed His powerful arm?” 39 But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said, 40 “The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts— so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to Me and have Me heal them.” 41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory. 42 Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God. 44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust Me, you are trusting not only Me, but also God who sent Me. 45 For when you see Me, you are seeing the one who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark. 47 I will not judge those who hear Me but don’t obey Me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. 48 But all who reject Me and My message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. 49 I don’t speak on My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know His commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells Me to say.

What games did you like to play as a kid? What games do you like to play now? Hopefully as you have matured over the years you are not playing the simple games you played as a child and play more challenging games as an adult. Unless, of course, you are playing them with small children. 

When we were young, our hearts were quite open. We trusted easier, we are more eager to learn. As we age we learn to discern what is truth and what are lies. The people in Jesus' day knew the truth, they had studied the scriptures. Isaiah had spoke of the Messiah yet some were too proud to believe. "For they loved human praise more than the praise of God." 

You can't play games with God. You are either "all in", a "poser" or don't believe. If you're "all in" you try to live a life according to what scripture tells us. You try to live and love like Christ. In difficult situations you ask yourself "What Would Jesus Do?" and do it, even if you don't want to, even if it's hard, because it's the right thing. A "poser" plays games. They pretend to be a Christian, they go to church on Sunday, they say grace at dinner time, they act nice when in public but the rest of the time they drink, cuss, gossip, are angry, have an all me attitude. The unbelievers have turned their back on Jesus, they have walked away from God. God may have even hardened their heart so they can no longer believe. 

Which category do you belong to? I want to be in the "all in" category. If you're a "poser" you may want to reexamine yourself. Don't try to play games with God, you can't cheat and you won't win. What you loose is too valuable, what you loose is eternal life.

Blessings, Cecilia