Reconciling Things

Sometimes even a neighborhood poker game can have its tense moments -- for instance, when a big pot or first place is at stake. In children's games, the result can be everything from yelling to hurt feelings and bruised relationships. (Yes, we know this; ask some of our relatives.) But adults ought to be able to put those moments behind them -- "burying the hatchet" and letting bygones be bygones.

The dictionary defines such a grown-up approach as being reconciled to each other. And in a recent post, we noted how believers need to be reconciled to God. Why is that necessary?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. -- Romans 3:23

God wants to develop a glorious relationship with us. But God is perfect (Matthew 5:48) -- and while humans are told to be perfect, we all fall far short. So we need that reconciliation. And thankfully, God provided a way for that....

That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. -- II Corinthians 5:19

When you accept Jesus as your Savior, your sins are applied to Him. They're covered in Christ's shed blood, as our perfect sacrifice (Romans 4:7-8). And after that happens....

....And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. -- 5:19b

That's the message we're bringing here. Be reconciled to your fellow poker players, even if they bluff you out of a small fortune. And even more importantly, become reconciled to God -- to build a glorious relationship which can last for eternity.

Poker Night 258: Eight It All Up

We did fairly well playing cash game poker for real money this week (watch this space for details) -- but cash winnings in our home area have been very hand to find. It's now 11 months since we made money in local tournaments. And the play at Lil Kim's Cove tonight left us wondering when that streak will end....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: K-10 of clubs

We're under the gun early in the evening, and have lost a couple of promising hands because we missed the flop (including A-K). We get in small, and no one at the full table raises.

ON THE FLOP: 8c-8s-3c

A flush draw with "overcards" looks promising to us again. Except the woman in the small blind bets 400. We call in hope. One or two other players call as well.

ON THE TURN: As

Close, but not quite. The small blind bets 400 more. Feeling committed, we call in hope again. One other player call.

ON THE RIVER: 8h

The flush is missed, but there's still a little hope. With three 8's showing, our King would win the pot if no one paired. The small blind bets 200, suggesting to us she missed something -- perhaps a flush draw of her own.

"I've got to see," we say -- since 200 is a relatively cheap amount. The other player folds.

"I've got quads." Ouch!!! Our opponent shows the fourth 8 - and explains to other players she bet small "to keep everybody in." She certainly did in our case. We lose 1,000 chips, and she gains a 5,000-chip bonus.

That's a microcosm of how the night went for us, as opportunities kept falling short. We survived to the one-hour break at 1,750 chips -- but then we went all-in with 9-9 and won a pot to "triple up" to 6,000.

A second push minutes later with K-10 and a King showing on the flop didn't work, though. A man made two pair to knock us out. We were thankful simply to walk home with 13th place, making the semifinal table despite only winning one hand.

MINISTRY MOMENT: We jumped on an exclamatory moment at the one-hour break, when a man said (we assume in disbelief over something), "Jesus!"

We had to give our answer loudly three times before the man understand it: "He's my hope of salvation." Why do we say that?

For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! - Romans 5:10

You may have heard some Christians say we're saved by the "blood of Christ" or "by His sacrifice." Well, not exactly. The apostle Paul explains here we're reconciled to God by the death -- but actually saved by Jesus's life, as in the resurrection. So what does it mean to be reconciled? Your comments are welcome; we'll offer an answer in an upcoming post.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 98 final tables in 258 nights (38.0%) - 15 cashes. This is our lowest final table percentage in a long time.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 154 point wins in 699 games (22.0%), 54 final tables, seven cashes. We went one-for-two in making points over the past seven days.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $49,843, up $2,765. We actually topped the $50,000 mark Sunday, by gaining $340 in our first "pot limit" Poker Stars game before falling back.