It's Hard to be Humble

Again this week, a busy personal schedule prevents us from playing live poker on Thursday nights. It appears that will change next week; we'll see. In the meantime, we offer a comment about poker players who prefer no comments at all.

Some online players act like they're playing inside a funeral home -- without chatting, even though the words simply are written. A player scolded us for being talkative awhile back at National League of Poker. So when we encountered him again, we adjusted accordingly -- and after a few hands....

rocknelson: no commentary flopdork
Me: You showed up. I shut up. I'm learning. :-0
Dealer: Gatortail wins Main Pot ($1530)
rocknelson: thats right u do what i tell ya to
Me: That's what humility is, a pastor told me once.

To quote that minister exactly from a sermon: true humility means letting other people tell you what to do. That may seem stifling and domineering; we realize that because we've faced such situations. Yet it's what Jesus expects of us:

If you love me, keep my commandments.... He that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me.... -- John 14:15, 21

Which commandments does Jesus expect us to keep? Some church groups insist they're the Ten Commandments listed in the Old Testament, and we can understand that reasoning. But the entire discussion seems to center on something else....

A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. -- John 13:34

Doing what others say not only displays humility -- it can also show love. Of course, that really boils down to your attitude behind the action. A good "poker face" might prevent other players from seeing it, but God looks on the heart (see Ephesians 6:6, among other verses).

There's more to this discussion; check our next post.