What the World Needs Now....

Some people will recognize those words from an old popular song. The next few words are: "....is love, sweet love."

We begin writing this moments after authorities in southern California confirmed a deadly mass shooting at a bar. It seems no place is safe from violence anymore - not a synagogue, not a school, and undoubtedly not even a poker room. Stories of the Old West are filled with poker table tension.

Our last post mentioned that one way to act for God is to "walk in love." It should be obvious that walking into a poker night with a weapon, ready to take action if you don't win, is not a loving walk. So what is?

Thankfully, the Bible devotes an entire chapter to that. And it's quite detailed. For starters...

Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. - I Corinthians 13:4

Each of these is a blog post in itself. And it makes a great practical checklist for examining yourself, to see how loving you really are.

Let's take the first point, for instance. Patience with the cards you're dealt is more likely to keep you in a tournament. You may have a series of 2-7 and 3-8 starter cards, but the odds are that good cards eventually will come.

Now consider this transition....

A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. - Proverbs 19:11

This is patience that goes beyond a round of blinds. It means being patient with other people around you - whether it's the dealer who loves to talk about his road trips, another player who goes "into the tank" at key moments, or the server who's delayed in bringing your drink.

This is a loving patience - expressed as much by what we don't say as what we do. You might have to tell yourself to do it over and over, to get into a habit of doing it. But the result will be an approach that's in line with God. After all, God is more patient with us than you might think....

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.... - Lamentations 3:22

Think about each of the "points of love" in I Corinthians 13 carefully (the list extends for several verses). Think about how you can apply them to your next poker night. Then make a plan to do them - asking God in prayer to help you do it.