As Christians are we called to walk by luck or by faith? Some would say “I have faith in God that it will work”. No. Faith is not you doing whatever you want and hoping God will bless it. Faith is rooted in God’s word – doing what He says. The other is GAMBLING.
Rom 10:17 Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.
Betting. Cut one, Ponzi schemes, Lotto/Lotteries and the likes… If you look closely, without the love of money or other biases in your heart, you would see that they all involve putting in money watching the money and rise with little or no hard work. They involve planting money like a seed but the field any is a kind that doesn’t need care; no fertilizing. irrigating, weeding – just high expectations.
Doesn’t sound like a bad idea right? It is just one playfully using what he has to get what he wants’ on the premises of LUCK. Think about it, who doesn’t need luck to get by everyday?
On a sincere note, why do people gamble? Could greed and covetousness be the primary motivation?
Luke 12:15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
Judas had a lust – for money. He was covetous. He was stealing from the pocket of Jesus, stealing from the ministry. Judas fed that lust and it brought forth sin. If Judas had ever been told “You will one day betray your Master”: he likely would have replied, “God forbid, I know I am not perfect but I can never do such evil”. Judas did mighty miracles like the other disciples but mammon was his undoing.
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What Really is Gambling?
Gambling doesn’t involve actual labor and the losses are not exactly what they claim it is. Money does not disappear. It changes hands. Your loss in this is another man’s gain and your gain in this is another man’s loss could that be stealing? It breeds depression, sorrow, lust, greed etc. And all of these are not the fruits of the Spirit. Was your stake based on the word of Christ or based on your desire to satisfy the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye or the pride of life?
Proverbs 12:11 He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.
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The Dangers of Gambling
Have you observed that you seem to have great plans before the money comes but once gotten, wisdom suddenly seems to depart from you and you don’t realize it until only crumbs are left?
Pro 13:11. The more easily you get your wealth, the sooner you will lose it. The harder it is to earn, the more you will have it.
God may have been merciful to you by preventing you from going down Judas’ path – betrayal and early death. But for how long will you have that living conscience?
Ecc 5:10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.
Sooner or later your conscience will get hard and dead and you will go beyond gambling money and property to gambling lives. Every ritual killer was once a person who stole little to get by every craving. It is from baby steps that all learn to run. God wants you to put in labour and make a profit that will not cause you so much harm or suddenly vanish. Would you stop walking on this path or will go on a quest to prove God wrong?
I Timothy 6:9-10 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Do you think NFTs, Forex and even Cryptocurrency are forms of gambling also?
READ ALSO: DOES GOD CHARGE FOR MERCY?
