All-American Game?

We glanced at the World Series of Poker Main Event leaderboard moments ago, and marveled at what we saw. With 183 players remaining, the top eight chip leaders are all U.S. residents - with a Canadian in ninth. None of them are exactly poker "household names," but they're leading.

This is unusual, because Main Event final tables have featured players from a lot of different countries in Europe and Latin America.  But then again, they're playing Texas Hold 'em, aren't they? After some people competed in Pot Limit Omaha - which we don't think refers to the beach stormed on D-Day?

If you want to root for an all-U.S. final table, that's your choice. But we'd like to note poker has become an international game. And if U.S. residents aren't careful, they can start thinking everything revolves around their country - even God.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28

Long before there was an America or a Great Britain, the message of the gospel began with a Jew in the Middle East.

Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." - Revelation 5:5

The rest of this chapter shows it's referring to Jesus Christ. Some religious groups claim He went to the Americas after He was resurrected. We don't see proof of that in the Bible, but certainly Christ's gospel spread far and wide. Jesus Himself said it would:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. - Matthew 24:14

Just as U.S. poker players ask for trouble by thinking they're better than players in any other country, so U.S. Christians ask for trouble by thinking they're "exceptional" in the sight of God.  That's because God is working with believers and hearts everywhere. He truly is a God of every nation.