Gamble.

So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58

I am not that good at cards. I have had my fair share of nights around the poker table and lost enough dollars to the cousins to know, gambling is not really my hidden talent. I remember the nights fondly though, as we flipped the cards, placed the bet, and watched the flop. But I know that beyond the fact that my poker face says it all, I also am unwilling to wage my chips on things that are uncertain. And thus, although I am playing the game, I am never the one to walk away with the big win at the end of the night. 

How often in a game of poker are you actually dealt the full house or pocket aces? See, the way I play, that is the only time I will place the bet. I hold on to my chips. I guard them. And I do not want to put them on the table, unless I know positively I am getting them back. But, you do not win like that. If you are not willing to go all in, you do not get the stack of chips. You might walk away with the five dollars you came with, but you are not going to be walking away with the night's winnings. 

Sometimes, you have to risk a lot to win a lot. My brother, he wins at poker. He walks away with all the money on the table. Why? Because he puts all his money in. And sometimes he has the cards. Other times, he does not. But either way, he places his chips on the line and trusts in his hand and the cards on the flop. Sometimes things go in his favor, sometimes they do not. But, he enjoys the game because there is a chance with every hand that he could win it all. 

I think in life we hold back our chips. It is hard to wage the bet when we do not know what cards are going to be turned over on the river. But that is the secret to poker and life, you have to trust beyond what you can see. You have to trust in the cards you have. And sometimes, your cards are enough to win the hand. And sometimes you will lose. But either way, if you are in the game, you have to take the chance.

God is the flop, and the run, and the river. He has the final say in who wins the hand. But, if you are not willing to throw some chips on the table, it is impossible for Him to give you the winning cards. I think it is safe to say the cards will not always turn over the way you hoped and you might end up a card short of a straight or four of a kind, but you have to place the bet because you also might be just one card away from the royal flush. 

I think with each round, God flips the cards to benefit us. He knows which rounds we need to win and which we can afford to lose. He is God. He has the final say. We do not have to know the way the hand is going to go. We do not have to know we are going to win. We just have to know, that when the cards are flipped over, either way when we bet on faith, we end up where we are supposed to be. 

I am not good at gambling because I am afraid to take the risk. I am afraid that if I go all in, I might end up losing. But, I am slowly learning that with faith, I am more willing to gamble in life. It is not because the cards I am being dealt are guaranteed wins or because I have more money to put on the line, it is because I know that regardless of win or lose, God is controlling to game. He is in control. He is God and that means, I do not have to be. I am not controlling the cards and I do not know who is going to win, but I know beyond a doubt that at the end of the day, those who put their chips in, walk away satisfied regardless of the outcome. They played the game. They gave it their all and took the risk on God. 

I want to start risking more. I want to start putting more of my chips in the pot. Sure, it might not go my way, but that is the gamble with faith, it is not about me, it is about Him. And He is worth the gamble.

His flop is perfect. Trust it. Place the bet. You may end up empty handed for a moment but your reward for living radically for Him is eternal and the more you put on the line the more He can deal you the cards you need to bring the glory to Him. 

Where is it that God is calling you to gamble more? Do not sit around and wait for the perfect hand, it may never come. You never know the cards you think are horrible, might just be the same cards God is using to make the perfect hand. Take the risk. Go all in.