All In

Scott Harman July 31, 2026 4 1

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Romans 12: 1-2 (NIV-UK)

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Recently my son had a sports disappointment. He didn’t make the team he hoped to make. Another opportunity came along, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to do it. Meanwhile, I had to go and meet a mentor of mine for a completely unrelated purpose.  

This mentor happens to have a son that is a professional ice hockey player. My son and I were chatting with the mentor, and I asked if his son ever played on the teams my boy was hoping to play on.  

He looked my son in the eye. He didn’t unlock that gaze for the whole response.  

“My son was never ‘the guy’ on his youth teams. He was always a good player, but there was always someone else that got all the attention. The thing about him was that he was always getting better, and he was always ALL IN.”

“So whatever you decide to do. Whether you try out for the other team or not, be ALL IN. Hockey’s going to end for everyone. But whatever you are doing in life or business, be ALL IN.”

After the meeting, I asked my son what he thought. “He’s pretty inspiring,” he said.  

Well my son tried out for the other team, and he chose to be All In. He made the team, and he’s excited about it. He’s looking forward to making new friends, and he’s also excited that he’ll need to get a new hoodie, since this team has different colours!

What does it mean for you to be All In today? The apostle Paul paints a vivid picture in Romans 12: 1-2. Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. In the world I live in, animal sacrifices are not a common sight (I’ve never seen or experienced such a thing). I imagine in Paul’s time people could imagine what a sacrifice looked like and smelled like. I’d want to crawl off the altar if I was being sacrificed. But the concept is to be ALL IN. Give yourself to God completely. It’s not easy. Athletes know that things worth doing are hard.  

Prayer:

Dear God I want to be ALL IN for you today. I confess that the patterns of this world force me to crawl off the altar. I’ll trust you to renew my mind. Then I’ll be able to test what your will is. Your good, pleasing, and perfect will.