Yet Jesus successfully resisted three rounds of temptation from the devil. (You can draw your own comparisons to a flop, turn and river.) Note the words Jesus used to push the tempter away:
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" - Matthew 4:4
The Son of God may have been walking in the flesh, but He knew the Scriptures very well. He quoted from Deuteronomy, to put the "word of God" above physical food (Deuteronomy 8:3). In the same way, there are times when we need to put the Bible ahead of a non-stop poker life.
Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" - Matthew 4:7
There actually are verses in the Bible where God allows you to test Him (see Malachi 3:10-11 for an example). But Jesus was responding to a challenge to jump off the top of the temple. As poker players need to discern the right time to take a big risk with a hand, Jesus realized this was not the proper moment for a "leap of faith."
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" - Matthew 4:10
The Son of God refused to worship the devil. Are you doing that - even in hidden ways that might surprise you?
In all of this, Jesus defeated the tempter by referring to Scripture; the other two quotes also come from Deuteronomy (6:13, 16). That can help us when we face temptation in life - even in a big poker hand.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.... - James 4:7-8
From time to time we've offered Bible verses to keep in mind as you play poker. Search for them on this blog, then make them part of you. We don't guarantee final tables or big wins. But by resisting the tempting moments, your outcome may be better than you expected.
No comments:
Post a Comment