A key hand in Thursday night's tournament at Lil Kim's Cove brought that to mind. You'll recall another player bet big before the flop, and kept betting big after it. We had 10-10, a Queen was showing on the flop -- and we kept calling until we went all-in on the turn, and wound up winning a big pot.
Why didn't we fold with that Queen on display? In other games at other times, we probably would have surrendered to a big bet on the flop. But we sensed our opponent was bluffing to chase us away -- and we sensed it because we've played with him before. Yet he's also played with us before, enough to think we'd probably collapse under betting pressure.
What we sensed is called a "read" in poker. And believe it or not, it's something God does with each of us. Familiarity can be an advantage in reading -- at a tournament, and in evaluating people for judgement. Consider:
To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God.... I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. - Revelation 2:18-19
Jesus tells four other churches in this section of Revelation, "I know your deeds." And how would He know a church is "now doing more," if He didn't watch it over a long period of time?
Jesus noted this church was changing and growing in certain areas. (Not all areas, though; read verses 20-25.) If poker players want to improve, they also need to change and grow. In Thursday's case, we changed our usual approach to a hand based on our opponent. It was risky -- but it worked. We consider it the best read we've made in a live tournament.
But when God reads you, what does He see? Are you changing your ways, to conform to His much higher ways? (Isaiah 55:8-9) Or are you trying to defend a reputation that God considers seriously flawed?
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