When playing poker, it is advisable to keep your opponents guessing until it's time to turn over your cards. Poker players often enjoy misdirecting the other players regarding strength with their hand using the intent of manipulating their decisions. Poker is really a trendy game because nobody really knows who props up best cards before the very end when everyone's hand is revealed. When it comes to betting on what best to please God and ourselves, life's choices can appear like playing poker.
Traditional Christians are betting that believing in Jesus as their Lord and Savior is like holding the ultimate wild card that trumps every one of the others. For Muslims, believing within the five pillars of Islam might be analogous to holding the five best cards inside deck. The Hindus' belief in reincarnation may be seen as owning an unlimited level of poker hands and money to try out until we succeed. Buddhists might see the highest goal as every player at the table holding cards that end up with a balanced draw for everybody.
It is simple to find out in employing this poker analogy that not most people are playing through the same rules and might believe anyone not following their rules isn't using an entire deck. But then this good question arises, 'Are we playing poker and competing with the other or, shall we be held playing poker with/against God'? That may seem like a strange and in many cases inappropriate question though the fact is worth exploring.
Most religions agree that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. Playing poker with God clearly eliminates any bluffing strategies. Realizing God can stack occasions in different order He likes regardless of how the cards are shuffled and cut means the outcome is already assured even before the game begins. It really all depends upon might know about believe God's goal what food was in creating us inside first place.
Many Christians feel God's passion for us is conditional and our salvation is merely achieved by seeking the winning wildcard (salvation through Jesus) a good moment before we die. Others still believe that we earn our salvation through our choices and deeds done on God's behalf. The Bible tells us that God is unwilling for any repentant soul to perish, so an area their faith in God's wish to stack those times of life in our favor to ensure that all His children are eventually saved despite having provided us free will. So, exactly like with poker, there are many of bets available of life but nobody knows the solution until every one of the cards are revealed and now we cash in your chips. But think on this'
If God truly is love, is all-knowing and all-powerful, and is also the most wonderful parent we're able to ever imagine, do we really think you'll find any cards He is holding that He won't give us? Do we believe He would create even one soul that will not eventually be saved at the time with their choosing as opposed to irreversibly condemned? Do we believe God can't or unwilling to save lots of all His children but deciding we should have free will? If so, only then do we have formulated a false God in your own less-than-perfect image rather than doing all we can to measure and 'Be ye therefore perfect' as Jesus taught and showed us.
The only sure bet we now have in daily life is the fact that God has stacked occasions within our favor. We usually stay losers provided we wish, for all of us have free will, website but our separation from Him is not the will in our loving Father. The method to actually win is to try out by His rules of unconditional love following a Golden Rule as well as the perfect role model consideration to us over the life of Jesus. Once we do, then every day life is not just a game of ups-and-downs, but rather a limitless connection with love and joy in God's abundant universe.
As always, I welcome your questions and comments at [email protected].