The successful gamester pushes his good fortune, till it is overtaken by a reverse. To all those who enter the lists, it’s usually fascinating. It has been the ruin of many worthy families, the loss of many a man’s honour, and the cause of suicide. It is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief. “This is a vice which is productive of every possible evil, equally injurious to the morals and health of its votaries. It causes men to trust in Lady Luck, the goddess of chance, rather than to trust in the Heavenly Father.God says that covetousness is idolatry! (Eph. Gambling is almost totally motivated by covetousness.Thus it violates the first commandment.Can a believer really go into a casino (a place of crime, nudity, cursing, & drinking), and gamble for the glory of God?.10:31 – “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” 5:22 – “Abstain from all appearance of evil” Too many fathers, addicted to gambling, forsake the care of the children to feed the one armed bandit!.12:14 commands parents to provide for their children. In 1 Timothy 5:8, Paul says that a person who refuses to care for his family is worse than an infidel.“The more people believe in the importance of luck, chance, randomness and fate, the less they believe in the importance of stern virtues such as industriousness, thrift, deferral of gratification, diligence and studiousness.” In this passage, it is revealed that it is God’s will for man to earn his living the old fashioned way – by the “sweat of his brow.” Gambling is also a violation of Genesis 3:19.4:11-12 – work is part of our Christian testimony in the world! Look up the following passages in your Bible. The book of Proverbs has much to say about the work ethic.3:7,10 – “For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you 10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” Colossians 3:23-24 – “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”.Gambling undermines the Biblical work ethic.Gamblers earning less than $10,000 per year lost about 10 percent of their family income to casinos, while those earning more than $40,000 spent only about 1 percent of their earnings on casino gambling. ² A 1996 Mississippi State University study found that poor Mississippians living in counties with casinos lost a far greater percentage of their income in the casinos than did wealthier gamblers.Shaffer concluded that the rate of problem gambling for youths ranged between 9.9 percent and 14.2 percent, while an additional 4.4 percent to 7.4 percent were already exhibiting compulsive gambling behaviors. Howard Shaffer, director of the Center for Addiction Studies at Harvard Medical School, conducted a meta-analysis of youth gambling studies in North America.It may not bother you – but your actions CAN lead another brother into sin and ruin! LOVE demands that we not gamble.Like alcohol, gambling is a stumblingblock to many! (Rom.The Lord Jesus warns us to BEWARE of covetousness – it may take forms that are not easily recognizable! ( Luke 12:15).The Tenth Commandment admonishes us not to covet.Gambling is based on raw greed & covetousness – which are sins.Recent studies indicate that 7 percent of adults in both of those states have been classified as problem or pathological gamblers. In 1996, Mississippi and Louisiana ranked number three and four, respectively, among the states in terms of the amounts of money legally wagered.The state of Georgia now has more than 1,200 chapters meeting regularly across the country. The number of Gamblers Anonymous chapters in the United States has nearly doubled in the last eight years.I Cor.6: 12 – “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”.Gambling can bring you under its control.
Since our society seems to accept gambling as legitimate, should the believer assume that gambling is acceptable behavior before God? What does the Bible say about it? Our state has the oldest state-run lottery in the nation.
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