All In

So God created man in His own image; He create him in the image of
God; He created them male and female. Genesis 1:27
All In. That simple two-word phrase is the battle cry of all athletes that are willing to go
do whatever it takes to achieve greatness. Athletes that go All In are fully committed to
a singular goal. They will make personal sacrifices to maximize their potential. They will
put in extra practice time and place complete trust in the coach. And
during competition, athletes that are All In will give everything they
have diving for loose balls, out hustling the opponent, fighting
through pain and adversity, staying focused regardless of any
distraction in order to obtain the prize.
As athletes we often allow our self-worth to get wrapped up in
our performance. We buy into the lie that we are only as good
as our last hit, our last goal, our last touchdown, our last
defensive move, or however our sport measures success.
But long before humans began competing against each other in
this thing we call sport, God went All In for us. He created the
universe and this place that we call home. He lovingly crafted us in His
image and gave us a purpose that runs much deeper than our
accomplishments and far outweighs our failures. Gods love has
nothing to do with our performance and everything to do with our very
existence. We have value because we are His creation.
From the beginning of time until this very moment, God has
always gone All In for you!!!

SPORTS STORY
Jackie Robinson is one of historys greatest examples of
an athlete who was willing to go All In. By 1941, for
instance, he had become the first person to earn letters
in four sports at UCLA! But Robinson is most noted for
his courageous battle against racial inequality within
Major League Baseball. In 1945, Brooklyn Dodgers
General Manager Branch Rickey (who later became one
of FCAs founding fathers) signed the African-American
second baseman to a contract. In 1947, Robinson made
history as the first black MLB player in the modern era
debut amid an intense flurry of racial epithets and public
opposition.
Through it all, Robinson maintained his dignity and
bravely hoped for a time when people would see deeper
than his skin color. He knew that his value wasnt
wrapped up in his performance on the baseball diamond,
but rather it was based solely on the fact that he was a
child of God.

I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your
works are wonderful, and I know this very well. Psalm 139:14
1) What are some characteristics that Jackie Robinson likely relied on as he went All
In as a pioneering baseball player?
2) What are some ways that people sometimes determine the worth of others?
3) Based on Psalm 139:14, how is our worth in Gods eyes different than our worth
might be in the worlds eyes?
In Genesis 1, we read about how God went All In as the Creator. Over the
course of six days, He created the heavens and the earth (v. 1), separated the
light from the darkness (v. 2), separated the water from the sky (v. 6), created
dry land (v. 9), produced vegetation of all kinds (v. 11), created the sun, moon
and stars (vv. 14-17), and filled the oceans and the earth with every kind of bird,
fish and animal creature (vv 20-26).
But even after putting every ounce of His divine creativity into planet Earth,
God saved His most prized creation for last. YOU

So God created man in His own image; He created him in the image of
God; He created them male and female. Genesis 1:27

Think about this: How do YOU view yourself? How do others view you? How does God
view you?

Gods Love Is
All In: God
created you b
ecause he love
d
you - even be
fore you were
born, He love
d you and de
sired
a relationship
with you. Joh
n
15:15, 1 John
4:19
Gods Sacrifi
ce is All In:
After man sin
ned, God
prepared the
ultimate sacrifi
ce
the life of H
is only Son
Jesus to d
ie in our place
and give us th
e opportunity
to
have eternal
life. John 3:16
Gods Purpo
se is All In:
He
created you fo
r a purpose!
Joshua 29:11
, Ephesians 2
:10