Against the Odds

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Some people actually make a living at gambling.  They’re professionals.  At the casino you’ll see these expert gamblers at the poker tables and the blackjack tables.  They know how to play the game.  They know the odds. 

But you’ll never see them at the slots.  They know the odds. 

Although some people claim they have strategies for winning at the slots, the masses of folks seen pulling the one-armed bandits are doing so primarily with the hope of winning.  For the most part the odds of winning at slots are totally stacked against you.

God’s a gambler. 

Not for money, but for lives.  He knows the odds.  He knows who will guarantee the best return on His bet.  But time and time again He casts His lot with the riskiest ones.  In fact, He’s bet His life on those whose likelihood of success is totally against the odds.

The broken.  The weak.  The foolish.  The despised.  The least likely to succeed. The ones who could never pay back His investment. 

But God doesn’t sit mindlessly hoping that there’ll be a lucky payout someday.  He knows the lives that He’s betting on.  He has seen beyond the false veneers and promises of big jackpots, or the warnings of guaranteed losses.  He strategizes.  He sends the influence of His love and presence.  He allows pain and relieves it with healing.   He causes the lives of those He’s won by His grace to intersect with those still lost in sin.

His fingers aren’t crossed, but He is praying for a win.  He’s hoping there will be a great return on His investment.  And when it happens, no bells, no sirens, no flashing lights, just a heart and soul brought to life.

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