Walking with God vs. Beating the Odds

I absolutely love to gamble!

Can’t tell you how many times I have been to Vegas!

And I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to figure out a method to beat the odds.

With Craps, hold the dice a certain way and get the right arch on the dice with only one bounce  to hit the end of the table.

Roulette – work the thirds of the table alternating to cover 2/3 of the table with every spin.

 Black Jack – you know the odds, use the rules card on when to stop cards from the dealer.

I’ve bought several Gambling Books on “Beating the Odds”.

Trying to set myself up to Win and Win Big!!!

Of course, none of them help!

And No, I didn’t bet the mortgage for “Baby needs a new pair of shoes”

Sure, I have made some stupid bets but not with money for milk.

And just like Eldredge says, I have tried to do that with my life.

Beat the odds of failure.

Read the next self-help book on marriage by Tony Robbins 

Or

How to be a Better Leader by John Maxwell.

Or Faith and Healing and Positive Thinking by Joel Osteen

So why have I been fired so many times?

And 

Why did I sell those 300K shares that went from 30 cents/share to $30/share at 32 cents?

The damn books aren’t working!!

Eldredge makes sense when he says………

"We end up with quite a list. But the only lasting fruit it seems to bear is that it ties us up in knots. Am I supposed to be reading now, or exercising, or monitoring my fat intake, or creating a teachable moment with my son? The good news is you can’t figure out life like that. You can’t possibly master enough principles and disciplines to ensure that your life works out. You weren’t meant to, and God won’t let you."

Eldredge, John (2010-09-19). Walking with God: Talk to Him. Hear from Him. Really. (p. 2). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. 

And I know some of you, just like myself, have not been happy in their jobs or marriages or church

Or

You fill in the blank_________________________________

But Eldredge is right………

"That whole approach to life—trying to figure it out, beat the odds, get on top of your game—it is utterly godless. Meaning, entirely without God. He is nowhere in those considerations. That sort of scrambling smacks more of the infamous folks who raised the tower of Babel than it does of those who walked with God in the garden in the cool of the day."

Eldredge, John (2010-09-19). Walking with God: Talk to Him. Hear from Him. Really. (p. 2). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. 

But you know, the self help and beating the odds didn’t help Tony Robbins….

He is on his second marriage.

And if you have listened to Joel lately, you will notice that 

He is about as deep as the water level in our rain gage the past month.  

NO!!

It seems to come down to learning to Walk with God.  Kind of like ……

Galatians 5:16,17

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for they are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

And that’s what this next book is about……

Learning how to have an intimate walk, daily, with the Living God.

I have been on crutches for a long time and just switched over to my cane.

How is your walk?