One time, as I was walking through a casino in Las Vegas, I heard a lot of cheering and commotion coming from a roulette table. Curiosity got the best of me, and I wandered over to see what was going on. I got there just in time to see the roulette operator slide three large stacks of chips toward a rather inebriated woman. She was enjoy herself immensely, all the while readily admitting that she had no idea what she was doing. The crowd gathered to watch the spectacle because she had won six times in a row, each time betting all her winnings again on red. With another loud cackle she yelled, “Put ’em all on red!” and she slid all her chips onto the red marker. Unfortunately, the woman was oblivious to the odds that dictated sooner or later she would lose. Sure enough, on the next spin, she lost–everything. Dumbfounded, she staggered from the table, her exuberance turned to disbelief.

Unfortunately, most of us approach life much like that woman approached gambling. We try all different strategies to solve our problems and to get ahead, usually in vain. Some of us are fortunate enough to finally stumble on the one strategy that will always win: Christ. Nothing else truly works. Nothing else can help. Nothing else can save. Nothing. Only Christ. We are supposed to put it all on Christ. He is the only sure bet. Put everything on Christ–your worries, your fears, your dreams and your hopes, everything. When you do, you will win every time.

Whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ. – Philippians 3:7-8

Originally posted 2014-08-20 06:00:32.