July 27, 2022 – Click here to listen
It seems I lost last night on my mega lottery tickets. In fact, there were no winners last night and the pot has now risen to over a billion dollars for next Friday’s drawing. The odds of winning are 1 in slightly over 300 million, but that doesn’t deter me because I don’t expect to win, but if my name is not in the hat, I don’t have any chance.
Now some of you strait-laced fundamentalists I’m sure feel that gambling is a sin. You would be wrong. The Bible does not specifically condemn gambling, betting, or the lottery. Gambling is a difficult issue because if it is done in moderation and only on occasion, it is more entertainment albeit a waste of money, but it is not necessarily evil. Moderation is the key word. When I purchased my ticket and the old man was counting out every dollar he had to buy as many tickets as possible. I asked him what he would do with that $700 million plus if he won.
He smiled and responded, “Why I’d take off work and go fishing tomorrow.”
I said, “With that kind of money you could buy a brand new Zebco fishing rod and reel”.
He laughed and said, “Yeah, I suppose I could”.
This gentleman looked poor, and I suspect he was spending hard-earned money that was needed elsewhere to make his purchase. Like so many things such as gluttony and drinking alcohol, he was not acting in moderation. If it harmed him financially, I would think he was committing a sin. I didn’t bet my farm on it and made my small purchase with my expectations low. If God wanted me to win the crazy thing, I would only need to buy one ticket to receive my blessing. I don’t think God felt my purchase was a sin and I have a clear conscience and will no doubt buy another for this Friday’s drawing for over a billion dollars. LOL
Some folks scoff at various lotteries’ attempts to portray themselves as a way to fund education and/or social programs. Indeed, two of my sons attended and graduated from the University of Georgia using the Hope scholarship which was funded entirely by the lottery.
However, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that studies show that lottery participants are usually those who can least afford to be spending money on lottery tickets. The allure of “getting rich quick” is too great a temptation to resist for those who are desperate. The chances of winning are infinitesimal, which results in many people losing money they can ill afford to lose. As I try to objectively look at this, I ask myself would they be better off throwing their money away at a casino rigged with free or low-priced alcohol drinks to impair their thinking and take all their money and give them nothing in return, or perhaps provide a scholarship to some kids.
I suppose the big sin here is the love of money. The Bible does not say that money is evil, rather the LOVE of money is the sin. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Hebrews 13:5 declares, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'”
I did not purchase my ticket because of a love of money. I sincerely would like to financially help struggling ministries, poor people, and spread the good news about Jesus Christ. I don’t expect I will ever win the lottery, but if I do, well . . . after my day of fishing, I will go to work.
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”