There is a split among many Christians and Churches on the advantages and disadvantages of gambling and what sin, if any, it creates.
Many churches and Christians have been taught that Christians should all be rich just because we are followers of Christ, this notion is misleading and false. There is nowhere in the Bible that God tells us that if we follow Him or His Son that we will be made rich. Didn’t Jesus tell many rich men to sell what they have, give to the poor and follow Him?
Gambling, in my opinion, is a spirit of lust, lusting after money which in turn causes the love of it, which is described in scripture as the root of all evil. Playing the lottery, bingo for money, black jack, betting on horses or any other form of gambling, in many Christian lives is no different. If you believe one is not a sin, then all manner of gambling is not a sin.
Many will take the money that the Lord provides them for their daily needs, not being satisfied with it, gamble with it in hopes of obtaining more, but when they win, that again is still not enough, they take what they win, and desiring more, they gamble with it also.
When is enough, enough. Will the body ever be satisfied with what it has? The bible tells us no. “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.”
The Bible gives us many examples of the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, where men are never satisfied, with silver or gold, for what they obtain they consume, and the more they consume the more riches they desire to try to satisfy their need, to be more than what they were intended to be.
For who is man that the Lord should take account of Him? Rich or poor we are all considered the same with God, for He has no respect of persons.
Being followers of Christ we must be content in whatever state we are in, being dependent upon the Lord for our daily needs. This is where our faith comes into play.
Our faith is based upon our belief in Gods words and our belief is tied to our faith in God and His Son. For as I have said before, I am who I am by the grace of God, with food and raiment therewith be content. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
Content; Rest or quietness of the mind in the present condition; satisfaction which holds the mind in peace, restraining complaint, opposition, or further desire, and often implying a moderate degree of happiness.
The further away from the assentation of Christ the church gets the less content the church becomes.
This same thing happened unto the children of Israel, in their journey their cloths never wore out and their feet never swelled, they were fed and cared for, but became discontent with these things and began to complain, and todays Christians are forgetting these lessons.
We must learn to be content in the state we are in, we must learn again that the Lord knows what we are in need of even before we ask. The unbelievers need food and clothing, which God understands, and as He feeds the birds of the air, the beast of the field, do we not believe that as He feeds and cares for them that He will ignore His Children?
Will there be poor Christians? Yes. “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.” Who makes a Christian or anyone else poor? “The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.”
The standard of life is based upon what a man declares to be satisfying, a poor man who works hard and believes in the Lord sleeps sweet but a rich man has trouble with his sleep, concerned with his wealth being taken away from him. So then is gambling a sin? It all depends upon who you ask, as for me, I am content with what the Lord gives to me, but for others it may be a matter of pride in what others possess.
If you are convicted in your heart that gambling is a sin then it is sin. Others must seek out the wisdom and guidance of the Lord. Ask yourself, is my gambling interfering with my ability to serve God or bring others to Christ? This then will be your answer, remember anything that you put before God will be your god. Ars.
