Saga of a Lifelong Gambler

Recently I was reminded of a stunning vision God gave me several decades ago. Although this wasn’t an audible voice from heaven, I’m convinced it was a word picture crafted by the Holy Spirit. 

I was sitting around a poker table with some other guys. It seemed odd for the Lord to speak to me through a story like this, because I know practically nothing about poker. 

Next to me on the table were several large stacks of poker chips. To my surprise, I saw myself confidently pushing all the chips to the middle of the table. “All in!” I boldly declared.

Even for a poker novice like me, the point was clear. If I was going to fully trust God with my life, I must give Him all the chips. I couldn’t claim “Jesus is Lord” and yet withhold part of my life from Him. 

This vision was accompanied by a flashback to the day I first surrendered to Christ. I was a senior in high school, with my whole life ahead of me. But even though I attempted to give Christ all my poker chips that day, there weren’t yet many chips to give Him.

By the time I had the vision of poker chips, however, lots of things had changed. I had three wonderful children, a nice house, several cars, a new cell phone, a functional computer, a closet full of clothes, and some savings for retirement.

I realized that I now had a considerable array of poker chips, so there was much more to lose. “All in” might really cost me something this time!

As I pondered whether it was still prudent to wholeheartedly trust Jesus with my life, I remembered this statement by the apostle Paul: “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to protect what I have entrusted to Him until that day”  (2 Timothy 1:12). 

What a reassuring message! We can be confident He will take good care of the poker chips we’ve entrusted to Him. 

But here I am in 2026, confronted once again with the same decision. My stack of poker chips has continued to grow, and I sure don’t want to lose any of them at my advanced age. 

Have you ever dealt with this? Periodically, it seems, life brings every follower of Jesus to this fundamental crossroads: Are we still “all in”? Does He still have all the chips?

I’m not a gambler by nature. I’ve never gambled on the Super Bowl or other sports events. Nor do I gamble on risky stocks on Wall Street. 

Nevertheless, I’ve discovered it’s always a safe bet to entrust ourselves to our faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19). That’s why, ever since my new birth in 1969, I’ve been a lifelong “gambler” on the kingdom of God. 

Now, at age 75, I’m wondering if there are more adventures in store—adventures that will require new steps of faith. Hey, Caleb was 85 years old and still driving giants out of the Promised Land! His secret? “He followed the Lord, the God of Israel, completely”  (Joshua 14:6-14).

The Rewarder

Throughout the Bible, we see that God is a rewarder of those who fully trust in Him (Hebrews 11:6). In fact, He’s actively searching for people like that: “The eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him”  (2 Chronicles 16:9a). 

• Abraham discovered God as “Jehovah Jireh”  (his Provider) only after he took the bold step of entrusting his precious son Isaac to the Lord (Genesis 22:1-19).  
• Moses had to lay down his shepherd’s rod in order for it to become “the rod of God,” infused with supernatural power (Exodus 4:2, 4:17, 14:16-31, 17:5-7, 17:8-13). 
• David, instead of striving to fulfill his own purposes, “served the purpose of God in his generation”  (Acts 13:36). 
• A poor widow was preparing to have just one more meal with her son before they starved to death—but everything changed when she entrusted her meager resources to God’s prophet (1 Kings 17:8-16).
• When the fishermen were called to follow Jesus, they “left everything”—including their father and the family business (Luke 5:1-11, Matthew 4:18-22). 
• When a young boy surrendered his loaves and fishes to the Lord, thousands of people were fed—with 12 baskets left over (John 6:5-13).
• The early Christians often met each other’s financial needs through their sacrificial generosity (Acts 2:44-45, 4:32-37). 

With these amazing Biblical examples before us, we have no excuse for being tightfisted with our lives and our possessions. God stands ready to bless those who surrender everything to Him. 

But let’s be honest. Some of us took bold steps of faith in our early days as a Christian, but it seems more difficult now. At various points, I changed careers, made geographical moves, initiated new ministries, and invested sacrificially into God’s kingdom. Would I still be willing to do such daring things if called upon today?

Friend, I hope you are wrestling with this as I am. When first called into God’s kingdom, we gave the Lord a resounding “YES,” but now it’s time to renew that YES once again.  

Keeping Some in Reserve

Believe me, I understand why some old guys like me would want to keep some poker chips in reserve. From a financial standpoint, that’s the sensible thing to do. 

Yet God is challenging me on this. Even if some money stays in my bank account or 401(k), He keeps reminding me that it all belongs to Him  (Psalm 24:1). 

One day Jesus pointed out how a poor widow gave just two tiny coins into the treasury. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had—all she had to live on”  (Mark 12:41-44). 

Frankly, if I was this woman’s financial planner, I would have cautioned her not to do that. But somehow it seemed to work.

This story shows that God is not so concerned about how much we GIVE. The better question is how much are we still KEEPING?

Remember the tragic story of Ananias and Sapphira? (Acts 5:1-11) In their case, God’s judgment didn’t come because they held back some of the proceeds back from the land they sold. Rather, they were judged for their dishonesty—portraying themselves as having given ALL, while holding back some of the poker chips for themselves. 

What a stark reminder that God hates hypocrisy and seeks “truth in the inner self”  (Psalm 51:6). 

Advocating for a “Common Purse”

A humorous memory involves a story many years ago when I was involved in planting a church in Ohio. We typically had quite long meetings and featured an “open mic” for people to share whatever they felt the Holy Spirit was putting on their heart.

One Sunday, a passionate young believer named Sam came up to the microphone and exhorted us to be more dedicated to the Lord and His kingdom. The best way to show our full commitment, Sam told us, was to have a “common purse,” pooling all our money and material possessions. 

Perhaps you think Sam had a great idea. The early church did seem to have moments when they radically shared their resources. However, that has never been a successful longtime feature of church life, whether in Bible times or church history. 

And here’s why Sam’s story still makes me chuckle: When he made his passionate proposal about pooling our resources, Sam was unemployed!  In fact, he was in debt and had practically no assets at all.

When I think of the poker table story, I remember how easy it was for Sam to tell us he was “all in” that day. With no poker chips of his own, he was hoping to live off the rest of us for a while.

Going Backward?

Through these recollections from the past, God is asking me to make sure I still have all my chips on the table. And I’ve learned that even if I’m “all in” today, I will have to face the same question tomorrow (Luke 9:23-25).

I wonder if that’s what happened to Peter and the other fishermen in John 21, after Jesus’ resurrection. Although these men had boldly left everything to follow Jesus in their early days as disciples, here they were picking up their fishing gear again. 

Fortunately, Jesus met them there that day. Just as He had given them a miracle catch of fish before (Luke 5:1-11), He did so again.

“Do you love me more than these?” Jesus asked Peter (John 21:15-19). 

Not just once but three times, Jesus asked Peter about his love—matching the three times Peter had denied Him.

Friend, the Bible says, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Jesus was “all in” when He sacrificed His life for you. Is it too much to ask that you lay down your life to share His Good News with others?