No Dice - 1 Corinthians 10:21

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. - 1 Corinthians 10:21

    The human foible of being ‘double-minded’ has left an indelible scar on mankind’s most noble efforts. Countless are the wrecks of good intention because of hesitancy at the last moment. Hedging ourselves by investing our time and energy in two different directions has never worked to bring about a Godly result and the Bible tells us to commit ourselves to the Lord. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” - James 4:8
    Perhaps it is best to start our understanding of what God requires of us by going back to the source, ‘ad fontes.’ The First Commandment spells out our duty to God in simple measure - “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” - Deuteronomy 5:6-7. Very simply, we must not allow, seek, or accept anything but the one holy triune God of Scripture as the sovereign Lord of all creation. We must not roll the dice, read the cards, or throw our fates at anything but the will of our Lord. Our unadulterated allegiance must be to God and God alone. “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” - Proverbs 16:3. It doesn’t matter how generous or noble our human effort might be; if it is not wrought by the will of God, it is the work of demons. “But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” - Romans 14:23.
    By way of example, there is a scene from the 1999 film, “The Mummy” where Benny, a traitorous scoundrel, is approached by the monster and immediately starts pulling up talisman after talisman from a necklace he wears. Symbol after symbol he holds for a moment as he prays according to that particular belief, first Christian, then, Buddhist, then Hebrew, seeking one and only thing: to save himself. Ultimately, near the end of the film, Benny succumbs to his terrifying fate because he was a double-minded truly godless individual. There is a profound lesson in the character’s uncommitted position, one we should all heed. “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” - James 1:6-8.
    History, if anything, has proven time and time again that mankind is constantly seeking to gain an advantage over the forces of nature and himself by whatever means necessary. Man, in his natural state, gives allegiance only to that which he believes will serve him and his purposes; a testament to our self-serving hearts, well attested to in Genesis 3. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” - Genesis 3:6.
    Holy Scripture tells us that God will not suffer our pride and hardness of heart forever. His patience is limited and rubbing the filth of our fickle hearts in His face will not long stand His divine judgment. We have all been commanded to - “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” - James 4:8.
    God will always be quick to forgive us if we come to Him in genuine humility and repentance, recognizing Him alone as Lord and Savior. And that fact needs no flip of the card or roll of the dice. It is our guarantee. It is our heavenly assurance.