Chapter
12.13
Lottery & Gambling
Consideration
– Chance – Prize - Prosperity – Wealth – Risk Taking
Greed
– Love of Money – Amusement – Addiction – Personal Witness
Have you ever paid a dollar to throw balls to win a
twenty-five cent stuffed bear?
Wikipedia
The lottery is a form
of gambling which involves the “drawing of lots” for a prize which may be a
certain amount of money and could be taxable if over a certain amount depending
on the country and or state the lottery was drawn. Most lottery expenditures go to various
institutions, primarily public school systems.
Gambling is
the wagering of money or something of
material value (referred to as "the stakes") on
an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning
additional money and/or material goods. Gambling
thus requires three elements be present: consideration, chance and prize. Typically, the outcome of the wager is
evident within a short period.
First Word
God is NOT
against riches or wealth; in fact it is God that gives us the ability to
obtain wealth.[1] It all belongs to God and what we give back
to God is only a portion of what He has already given us.[2] We are cautioned not to be arrogant and
cocky about our finances, not to put our hope in them as our continued finances
is fairly uncertain; but to put our hope in God.[3]
These thoughts present three questions.
1)
By what means did you obtain your wealth?
2)
Where does wealth rank in your priorities?
3)
How do you use your wealth?
Risk Taking
Part of life is risk taking
whether it is with your own money or someone else’s assets that has been
entrusted to you. This would include
your natural talents
and God given Gifts
in the service of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; stepping out and “taking a risk at failure” in your own church.
God encourages LEGITIMATE risk taking; he
encourages us to count the cost first to see if you can accomplish what you desire.[4] He challenges us to NOT lean on our own understanding,[5]
but to seek Godly council; wisdom, understanding and knowledge,[6] He
says many
advisors bring success.[7]
In
the Parable of the talents, the servants were entrusted with “talents”;
some invested wisely and the others hid theirs, the faithful servants were rewarded;
the un-faithful
servants LOST ALL THEY
HAD.[8]
Greed
The LOVE of money is the root of all
evil;[9] it’s
not the money; it’s the love
of the money. Is your risk taking
motivated by greed? People who want to
get rich fall into the trap of temptation and wander into foolish and harmful
desires bringing them into ruin and destruction.[10]
When we make hasty decisions “without planning and counsel,”[11]
we fall into the snares of Satan. It is faithfulness
that is blessed;[12]
NOT eagerness for a buck.[13]
GREED IS AN
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER; you don’t have to be rich to be greedy; stinginess
and eagerness for a buck leads to poverty.
Did you notice that one of the Ten Commandments was
about coveting what others have? "Everything is permissible," but not everything is beneficial.
You can become addicted to getting MORE money.[14]
When the occasional Bingo, Lottery or Gambling changes from amusement to
dependency, you are in trouble. It certainly does not start out that way, but
that’s how it ends. I have been in a gas
station and observed a customer purchase $45.00 worth of scratch off tickets
and hastily scratched them off right then and there, winning $5.00 and then
purchasing more with the $5.00.
The Lottery
I take no special interest in
the state lottery except when they start talking on TV about the
winning amount is now up to $500,000,000; then that gets my attention and I go
out and buy
I told my son Mike that I had bought a lottery ticket; he proceeded to
tell me about how many “millions to one” chances I had in winning and that
the lottery was designed to exploit the poor.
I told him I was going to give him part of my winnings… He said he
thought he would be further ahead if I would just send him the two dollars.
Winning the lottery does not get my mind thinking about how I can help
people get educated or how I can help the state get its projects paid for. Not at all, I think about what the money can
do for ME. I think about giving all my kids a few
million each, my Church and a few missionary outreach programs a few million
each, and for me; I need a new floor in the kitchen and I might take a cruise
if my back doesn’t hurt that week.
CONTENTMENT: I speak of these things because I’m old and I am
content
with where I am. I am not asking God to
bless me just for the MONEY’S sake because He
already supplies all my needs according to His abundance in Glory through
Christ Jesus.[16]
Whether I win the lottery or not, I will eventually get my kitchen floor
fixed and if I feel like it, I might save for a cruise and with luck, the RAPTURE will come while I am sitting on the
balcony of a ship watching His sunset over the ocean waves.
THE
QUESTION;
why do you play the lottery? Is it a
thirst for wealth? Do you not trust God
to supply your needs? If your life is
not content,
then you are driven by greed; God will not bless greed. Isn’t
it foolishness to think that God needs you to have a winning lottery ticket
just so He can get TEN PERCENT of your
winnings or even one hundred percent for that matter? God doesn’t need our money. He has cattle on a thousand hills; He can
sell some cows if He needs to do something and that’s “no bull”.[17]
When we give to God, it just allows us to get in on what He is
doing.
Need Money,
Trust God; give away what you can and it will come back to
you in good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.[18] If you measure out a TABLESPOON of giving, God
will repay you with a SHOVEL FULL; you can’t out give God.
Two Masters
We watch others;
non-Christians at that, succeeding at what they are doing as we seem to be
passed by in the shadows waiting patiently for our ship to come in.[19] Remember it not what you have, but how you
got it. We are taught to seek the resting place
of God not the “Wheel of Fortune”.[20]
We are to store up treasures in Heaven not on earth, because where your
treasures are, so is your heart.[21] If your eyes are on money, you cannot see
God; you cannot serve God and Money.[22]
Hard Work
Somewhere within us we
want to make it BIG so we won’t have
to work anymore. Our very makeup pushes
us to take short cuts, to not work hard for what we want; sometimes we chose to
steal and gamble and even steal so we can gamble.
I met a guy on a cruise ship that saved thousands so he could gamble
once a year. I asked him, how much had
he won. He responded that he had lost
more than he had ever won, but the way he looked at it, they were just “holding his money
for him” until he came back.
Scripture says if we have stolen; to steal no more and to work with our
hands so we will have something to share with others.[23] God goes on to say, IF YOU DON’T WORK, YOU DON’T EAT.[24] (Unless you have a career in welfare.) If you are lazy, prefer to sleep than work,
poverty will pounce on you like a bandit,[25]
if you want wealth; then work,[26]
It’s a fool that chases games of chance and get rich quick schemes.[27]
Paul writes of his concern for
others that his own “personal freedom” does not cause someone else
to stumble because of their weakness and lack of knowledge.[28] A Christian participating in gambling and the
lottery can affect his witness to others.[29]
We are now in the last days and are warned
that men will lose their love for God and their desires will run rapid seeking
money, pleasure and will become lovers of themselves.[30] They will say they are Christians, but will
only have a “form
of godliness”. They will rob
God of His tithes and offerings[31]
and it will not cross their minds to obtain wealth in order to share with
others.
Prosperity
It is God’s “Good Pleasure” to bless us,[32]
to choose us, to predestine us to Himself.[33] God wants us to prosper in health and in our
finances and to have fun, He delights in our wellbeing.[34] For
the one that works, it is his heritage to enjoy the good that comes from
the work of his hands;
The Take Away
When I find a penny on the
street, I pick it up and quote “My God supplies all my needs according to His abundance
in glory through Christ Jesus”; He is my source. I will probably buy a lottery ticket when
they start talking about it again on TV and I might play Bingo if I hang out
with some ole folks and I might put 50 cents on a Gamecock football game, but it
will be few and far between. It will be
just for fun and amusement with no expectations.
Everything I have or will have comes from God. He gives me the ability to obtain wealth. He is my source. God wants me to enjoy the proceeds from the
hard work of my hands, my talents and my mind; to
It is my commitment that no earthly thing will become the master of me,
not even
Now we are back
at the beginning of the study with the first questions.
By what means did you obtain your wealth?
Where does wealth rank in your priorities?
How do you use your wealth?
[2] 1Chronicals 29:12-14 – It all belongs to God
[3] 1 Timothy 6:17 – Riches
are uncertain.
[4] Luke 14:28 – Count the cost before you take a risk.
[5] Proverbs 3:5-7 – Do not lean on your own understanding; seek God
[6] Proverbs 24:3-4 – Seek
wisdom, understanding and knowledge
[7] Proverbs 15:22 – The advice of many advisors will bring success
[8] Matthew 25:14-30 – The Parable of the Faithful use of talents
[10] Exodus 20:17 – You shall
not covet whatever your neighbor has including his wife and donkey
[11] Proverbs 21:5-6 – We are to diligently plan and seek wisdom
[12] Proverbs 28:20 – The
faithful man is blessed
[13] Proverbs 28:22 – A stingy
man is eager for riches
[14] 1 Corenthians 6:12 – Don’t become ADDICTED to money
[15] Proverbs 10:22 – It is
God that make one rich with no sorrows
[16] Philippians 4:19 – God
supplies all my needs
[17] Psalms 50:10 - God has cattle on a thousand hills
[18] Luke 6:38 – Give & it will be given to you in good measure, pressed
down, shaken together and running over and poured into your lap
[19] Psalms 37:7 – Wait patiently for God and do not fret when you are
passed by and others succeed
[20] Isaiah 65:10-12 – The “Wheel of Fortune” displeases God
[21] Matthew 6:19-21 – Your
heart is where your treasures are.
[22] Matthew 6:22-24 – You
can’t seek God and money at the same time
[23] Ephesians 4:28 – Work so
you have enough to share with others
[24] 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – IF YOU DON’T
WORK, YOU DON’T EAT
[25] Proverbs 6:9-11 – The lazy man will find poverty quickly
[26] Proverbs 10:4 – You want
wealth, then get a job and Work
[27] Proverbs 12:11 – A fool chases fantasies.
[28] 1 Corenthians 9:19-22 – I
am free to do what I want to; BUT
[29] 1 Corenthians 8:13 – Will
what you do cause your brother to stumble?
[30] 2 Timothy 3:1-5 – In the
end time men will be lovers of Money, pleasure and themselves
[31] Malachi 3:8-9 – Man will rob God of His tithes and offerings.
[32] Psalms 149:4 – God takes
pleasure in us as Believers
[33] Ephesians 1:3-5 – It is
the good pleasure of His will; we were chose, that we should be holy and
without blame before Him in love
[34] Psalms 35:27 – God
delights in the wellbeing of his servants -- 3 John 2 – As our spirit prospers,
so will our health
[35] Ecclesiastes 5:18 – Eat, drink and enjoy the good of your labor
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