All-in CommitmentSample

Long-term Commitment or Franchise Tag?

In the NFL, teams can utilize their franchise tag to sign one player for the upcoming season at a salary calculated by averaging the league’s top five salaries at that player’s position in the current year.

The tag demonstrates a team values a player, but not enough to go all-in. They typically want to see how things go during the upcoming season before committing to anything more.

Thinking about the franchise tag makes me wonder about our commitment level to God. The truth is, we often hold back on a “long-term deal” with God because we’d rather go season by season. When we need help, we cry out to Him in prayer. But when things are going well, we go in our own direction without relying on Him.

James 1:5-8 gives this warning: “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

Just like a team using a franchise tag, we may drag our feet when following Jesus by not locking in long-term. Eventually, this half-hearted approach sends mixed messages to those watching us, because they can’t figure out if we’re temporarily pursuing God or truly in for the long haul.

Remember, Jesus is not inviting us into a casual life of following Him, but an all-out commitment as His disciples. So, do we hold on tightly to God and truly love Him according to this convicting commandment in Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”?

Today, let’s be encouraged to live a life that is fully devoted to God because He is worthy of our whole hearts.

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray I would be wholly devoted and fully surrendered to You. Please show me how to live in a way that demonstrates I’m all-in. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.