Conversation with "god"

This god is in lower case, because he sat next to us at an online poker table this week. The man's table name includes the phrase "pokergod." For someone involved in poker ministry, this was too good to resist.

"So do you think you're a god?" we asked by chat.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, that's in your name."

Pokergod explained the name scares some opponents. Well, not us. As we chatted, we won a pot from Pokergod, and gave thanks to "the true God."

"I choose to stick to reality," he eventually said.

That's a crossroads point, when it comes to the true God. Is He real to you? Do you see God at work in your daily life?

Believers probably don't look for God's hand in the middle of poker hands. Missed flush draws happen. A lot. But believers see God's hand in plenty of other things -- from a beautiful sunrise to the wonders of animal life large and small.

To see that takes what Paul calls the "spirit of faith" in II Corinthians 4:13. He went on to write: "We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (verses 17-18).

Do you have that sort of vision? A vision of the real God, not someone who simply takes that name -- and many ministers would warn take God's name in vain? (Ex. 20:7)

By the way: Pokergod wound up winning the tournament. We did well, finishing 14th out of 136 players. As we parted, Pokergod asked us to go easy on him here. Whether or not we have ultimately is a matter of perspective -- but we'd ask you which "god" is more worthy of fear and worship.