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Proverbs 1:19~Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it.
My core quest in this life is to fulfill the purpose that God has predestined for my life; and the most efficient way of attaining this goal is through my gift of writing. However, there are times when I will verbally approach people as well, but my dilemma when talking to people on the spot is their request to see in scripture the topic of discussion. I have not memorized the entire Bible verbatim and therefore am unable to direct them to the exact passage which validates whatever I may be ministering about at the time. Often times I will need to research scripture and get back to them in order to reveal it is not what I say, but it is what God says. The following scriptures are one of many to accurately depict the essence of gambling:
1 Timothy 6:9-10~But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
The culprit which sparked my interest in writing this spiritual message derived from a couple weeks ago when the Power Ball Lottery Jackpot exceeded one billion dollars. It appeared as though everyone, family, friends, acquaintances, strangers and the like were purchasing lotto tickets with their common desire to strike it rich. I found myself trying to minister about how wrong it is to gamble in the eyes of our Lord; but for the most part, people were still determined to toss their money into the “pot” and responded to me with “I never read that gambling was wrong in the Bible.”
I decided to research various scriptures which pertain to attaining money from ungodly motives, namely greed. What we first need to understand is the message of God’s teaching about reaping what we sow. Millions upon millions buy lottery tickets on a daily basis sometimes with their very last dollar with the hope of striking it rich. If we take the time to put this vicious cycle into spiritual perspective it becomes clear that the winners are robbing from those who, at their own risk, willingly delve into a lottery system of madness. Often times the winner’s jackpot is in reality the poor man’s survival pot; therefore every time someone wins the lottery many others suffer the consequences of drowning in a sea of unending financial debt. One cannot prosper from another’s poverty and receive God’s blessings; a little thing known as Karma will turn it around making it right in the larger scheme of things.
Proverbs 22:1~He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.
Proverbs 20:21~An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.
The Lottery is just one form of gambling; there are so many other methods of gambling which include casino slot machines, poker, blackjack, keno, roulette, rolling dice and the list just goes on; none of which is acceptable by the standards our Heavenly Father. God wants us to be content with whatever financial stability sustains our daily living without tapping into the temptation of greed. It makes sense to remain faithful with whatever financial blessings God has given to each of us without an unending quench to pursue more than what is required above what He sets before us.
1 Timothy 6:6-8~Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
Proverbs 28:20~A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
I am a perfect example to speak on the destructive behavior of gambling because for many years my life was twisted and choked by the threads of an addictive pursuit of achieving ill-gotten gain. The more I won, the more I sought to win ensnared by an appetite of wanting more and more until finally I would transform into a robotic like daze oblivious to losing more than winning; all to satisfy a deep rooted greed that would ultimately lead to not only a decrease in my wallet but acquiring a negative zero in my bank accounts as well.
Ecclesiastes 5:10~The one who loves money will never be satisfied with money, he who loves wealth will never be satisfied with his income. This also is futile.
Suffice it to say that I lost everything by man’s standards; my house, cars, bank accounts, credit cards, jobs and most importantly I almost lost my very soul, but by the grace of Jesus Christ. I had to hit rock bottom in order to stand up and realize just how low I had landed. It is by the grace of God that I continue to stand to this very day blessed and restored from a battle lost. However, all that I lost material wise, I gained spiritually and that is worth more than all the money in the world. God picked me up, dusted me off and showed me the true meaning of Godly treasure. He teaches that our treasure is where the heart is and my heart is with Him just one of the many servants willing to share my testimony and the Gospel with whoever is willing to listen. I may have lost the battle, but I definitely won the war with complete restoration of peace, health, faith and yes, even financial contentment; and on that note I leave you with the following scriptures for the spiritual nourishment and edification of your souls:
1 Timothy 3:8~In the same way, deacons are to be worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain.
Proverbs 10:2~Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death.
Matthew 16:26~For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Hebrews 13:5~Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
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