The Game of Your Life

If you visit PokerStars sites, that title should look familiar; a current major tournament has that name. But those words can be examined in a couple of ways. For instance, what sort of a game are you playing with your life?

We promised to offer more details about a National League of Poker table where we deferred to a player who gets easily upset with "chatty" opponents. After we explained why we kept quiet, this exchange occurred....

Dealer: rocknelson wins Main Pot ($1260)
stanley: get a life
rocknelson: eat a d**k stan
Me: Thanks to God, I have one. :-)

It's not a plain old ordinary physical existence. This is something completely new.

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and that life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. -- I John 5:11-12

If you want that never-ending life, you need Jesus. The book of Romans explains how to obtain Him.

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.... In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. -- Romans 6:4, 11

So baptism is needed -- and Acts 2:38 adds you should repent "for the forgiveness of your sins" as well. Those two steps will start a new game for you. And while physical death might be a temporary adjournment, Jesus promises eternal life "in the age to come" (Mark 10:30). To borrow from Charlie Sheen, now that's really "#winning".