"The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, 'O man of God, there is death in the pot!' And they could not eat it." (II Kings 4:40)
Go ahead -- cry aloud, "There is death in the pot!" at your next poker game. See what sort of reaction you get. :-)
But seriously: When someone bets enough chips to put you all-in, there's "death in the pot" for you. That's when you have to take special care. It's time to do something Jesus recommends, in terms of becoming a disciple.
"For which of you, intending to build a tower, sits not down first, and counts the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?" (Luke 14:28, KJV)
In poker, going all-in usually is a choice -- and it could mean death to your chances of winning the tournament. Jesus goes on to indicate in the Christian walk, there's really no choice. "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." (verse 33, NIV)
Yet here's the amazing thing: God promises if you go all-in for Christ, there's NO "death in the pot" after all!
Elisha found flour in II Kings 4:41, which somehow made the stew safe to eat. Jesus offers Himself as "the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).
Jesus paid a tremendous price to provide you eternal life. Will you count the cost to eat of the Lord's "living bread" -- to gain a reward better than any tower of poker chips?
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