Ten-High Priest?

From the World Series of Poker Main Event comes a surprising sight -- a Catholic priest at the casino.

(We'll pause here, for you to create your own joke. There's probably a good one here somewhere.)

But seriously: a former member of his church is playing in the Main Event, and has promised to give the church a tithe of his winnings. Should he go all the way, that would come to about $850,000.

Sound absurd? Not to us. In fact, we tithe on all the cash we win at poker tournaments. "Tithe" means to give a tenth to God, and it's a Biblical concept. Jesus refers to it in Matthew 23:23, as He chastises....

"hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices -- mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law -- justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

Jesus clearly wants other Godly issues to receive higher emphasis. But He didn't want the "hypocrites" to overlook tithing.

Malachi 3:10 challenges people to bring their tithes to God, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

Does that mean you'll win every final table? Not necessarily -- but blessings can come in many forms. (Pssst, including a possible tax deduction for giving to charity.)

If the dealer deserves a tip for giving you a winning hand at the casino, why not offer a piece of the pot to God? He's not asking for all of it -- even though He wants a commitment from all of you.