All-in CommitmentSample

Who Do I Root For?

The 2016 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians was a unique experience for me as a sports fan, as my two favorite teams were facing each other.

My Grandpa Jack and I were extremely close before he passed away, and he was a lifelong Indians fan. When I was in college, the two of us took a trip to see the Indians play in person, which was very special to me.

In high school, I went on a mission trip to Chicago. While there, I witnessed the Cubs take on the Yankees at Wrigley Field. Being part of the amazing tradition of that ballpark was an incredible experience, and it definitely confirmed my fandom.

So, who was I to root for? I was drawn to both teams and would have been pleased with either outcome.

In the Bible, Paul writes about a much more profound dilemma: desiring both to remain serving the Lord in this world and to be in Heaven with Jesus.

Philippians 1:21-24 says: “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sake, it is better that I continue to live.”

As followers of Jesus, we are in a similar predicament. When we firmly believe we will spend eternity with Jesus, we want to go right now.

But at the same time, we understand that living for Christ in this world has a major impact on people. God allows us to continue to live here for His purposes, so we should embrace doing fruitful work for Him.

Ultimately, God has each of our days numbered and will decide when it’s time for us to join Him in Heaven. In the meantime, let’s choose to live for Christ until our final day.

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I desire to be in Heaven, but I know that you have work to be done until that time. I pray that I would be faithful to live a life that is fully committed to Christ while bearing much fruit. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.