There Are Rules, and Then....

There's been a little confusion in recent days at one of our local poker stops.  The issue: should you show your hand to other players at the table before the showdown?

In the "free poker" tournaments we enter, such "preview showing" is common -- especially if you're showing your cards to a neighbor who's folded.  At some point, it led to instruction from a Tournament Director about the "one player, one hand" principle.

"It's not a rule," the Director tried to emphasize the other night.  "It's etiquette."  Perhaps at that table -- bnt we can envision some casinos and tournaments where it might bring a penalty.  Our online searching found some events even have detailed rules on how a showdown is conducted.

In informal local poker, the fine points of the rules can be fuzzy.  Some people relish that, and try to live their entire lives the same way.  But if you're a follower of God and Jesus Christ, can you get away with that?  The early church had to deal with that kind of thinking....

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ  even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved. - Ephesians 2:4-5

The grace of God and salvation through Jesus are wonderful things.  But how do you handle those gifts?  How do you respond to them?

What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!  We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? - Romans 6:1-2

Paul goes on to admit believers are "not under law, but under grace" (verse 14).  But a mature response to grace (dare we say a response with "etiquette") is to walk away from a sinful lifestyle, to show appreciation for what God has done.  God's rules (otherwise known as the Ten Commandments) help us understand what sin is.  For instance:

He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. - Ephesians 4:28

And if you play by God's rules, we think you'll become far less likely to appeal to God for forgiveness and grace in the future.

So learn the rules of the game -- whether at your local tournament, or from the Bible for the greater "game of life."  There should be less turmoil if you do.