Dealer: mks wins Main Pot ($3,400) with Two pair, aces and fours
Me: Sins purged. :-)
kingkupkake: its a confessional
Me: I confess....
Me: I have no pair here. :-)
We wrote that final line during the following hand -- and we told the truth; we had no reason staying there long. But that word "confessional" started an interesting conversation. We'd ask you first: are you a confessor?
Plenty of people keep their poker hands secret, both when they fold and when they win before a showdown. The general rule is that you don't have to show your cards unless a showdown requires it. To have a relationship with God, that won't work at all. For starters....
"Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the Lord. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord. - Jeremiah 23:24
You can try running from God. The prophet Jonah did, in the first chapter of the book named after him. But Jonah quickly realized he can't hide. God can see everything we do -- even the sins you think you're hiding from everyone on Earth.
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. - Proverbs 28:13
This sort of confessing can work on many levels. If you do something which upsets another poker player, going to that player with a humble apology can heal a damaged relationship. That can be true in our dealings with God as well:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. - I John 1:9
The "he" in this case refers to God. There may be times when you need to confess your faults to other people (James 5:16) - but only God can ultimately forgive sins, through the blood of Jesus Christ.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. - I Timothy 2:5
Our online chat will continue in a future post.
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