Playing the hand you are dealt

Philippians 1:12-14

¹² And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. ¹³ For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. ¹⁴ And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

 As I read these verses this morning I was reminded of the saying playing the hand you are dealt. Here Paul was dealt what we would call a bad hand. He was in jail because he was spreading the Gospel Message. However when you read these verses he played his so called bad hand to perfection and found joy in just playing the game. Now the questions becomes what do you do with the cards that you are dealt? When playing cards sometimes you get a good hand and sometimes you get a bad hand but either way you are still in the game. I don’t know about you but in a game of cards I am able to find satisfaction when I can take a bad hand and play it well, perhaps to the point of maybe that was not such a bad hand after all. The same can be said of the things we are dealt in life. If we can use the “bad” things we are dealt and use them to spread the Gospel Message in reality were we dealt a bad hand?

Whatever hand you are dealt it is very important that the people around you know what you are playing for. If you’re playing for Christ, let people know. Then you will be able to not have fun playing the game but you will be able to find joy. There is a big difference between fun or happiness and joy. For me happiness is temporary and joy is lasting.

 Usually when a person spreads the Gospel Message the people we think about and rightly so are all those who need to hear it, however verse 14 made it clear to me that if we play a bad hand well it is an encouragement for others to do the same. If others are encouraged to spread the Gospel because of the way you played you’re hand what a bonus that is. When you look at the world today we need as many people as possible to play their bad hands well to the glory of Christ to make this a better place.

One last thing if you are dealt a good hand don’t forget to play it. Sometimes when we are dealt good hands we get over confident and lazy. A good hand played poorly still looses.