The Endgame

“And I…am Iron Man”

These five words marked the culmination of arguably the most gripping and interconnected movie series of all time. 22 films – totalling up to 50 hours of watch time – had led to this moment.

(WARNING: Spoilers)

The pivotal moment. The snap of Tony Stark‘s fingers. All six Infinity Stones had come into play, and every character was united for the final battle against Thanos.

It truly was a climax of epic proportions, made even more significant by everything the characters (and viewers) had gone through to get to that moment. Ten years of films had built up to one last fight.

But as crazy as seeing 22 movies knit themselves together into one cohesive finale was, the MCU pales in comparison to the true greatest story.

The Marvel movies aren’t even in the same league as the Bible.

The Word of God is a masterpiece that weaves its way throughout 66 books (triple the amount of Marvel films), and spans thousands of years. A tale that even today hasn’t reached its final chapter. A story a million times more captivating and relevant than any the world will ever script.

The story of the Bible is the most incredible and inspiring tale ever told. An epic adventure featuring love, sin, redemption, war, poetry, prophecy, songs, life advice, miracles, a Messiah, martyrs, eternal salvation, and so, so much more. It truly is an unfathomable book.

The Bible invites you to be part of the adventure.

In the Avengers movies, we saw incredible examples of sacrifice. Black Widow gave herself up to recover an Infinity Stone, and Iron Man surrendered his life to save the universe and stop Thanos. They died for a cause they deemed worthy.

So did the prophets and apostles of the Scriptures. They didn’t hesitate when it came to shedding their own blood for the Lord. They endured horrendous things, all for their faith. When push came to shove, they weren’t willing to budge. They believed in their cause with everything they had.

While most of us probably won’t end up dying for Jesus’ sake (though who am I to say that?), we will have to give things up for Him. Whether that’s our position with the “cool club” at school, a promotion at work, or even our reputation, Jesus asks that we surrender all to Him.

Are you willing to give your all?

I’ve heard it said time and time again that if you really want to get good at something, you need to go all in. The Avengers gave everything, and as a result, they saved the universe. The apostles and prophets went all in, and as a result, Jesus’ message has spread throughout the world.

If you want to study to be a doctor, you can’t say “I only 80% want to be one.” You can’t train with 90% of your energy to be a professional athlete. If you want to be good – or even great – you have to give it your all. Many of us know this already, yet we are prone to forget.

Think of some of the greatest athletes of all time: Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Wayne Gretzky, or Lionel Messi, perhaps. How do you think they got to be as good as they were? By giving 100% (and more).

The same is true with living for Jesus. You can’t “partially” want to follow Him. You can’t “somewhat” want to spread His message. It should be your #1 priority. It’s going to be hard, but if you want to make a lasting difference, you have to give it your all.

Are you willing to hand over everything for the cause?