Hitting the news on Monday was this headline, Government Employees Spent Almost $1 Millionin Taxpayer Money at Casinos.
 |
| Photo courtesy of The Daily Signal |
That’s not all. According to The Daily Signal just under
$100,000 was spent at “adult entertainment establishments” too.
A casino bound bus carrying around 70 people overturned on
snowy roads earlier this week.
Last week, Thailand’s strict laws against gambling became more
public when Thai police arrested elderly bridge players found to be in possession
of too many playing cards.
In January, Major League Baseball player Yu Darvish’sbrother was arrested for being said to run an illegal gambling ring in
Japan.
 |
| Photo courtesy of FOX News (61) |
Whether co-worker conversations start with sports, paying taxes,
or bus accidents the topic of gambling can arise.
So why is gambling an international concern? Why is it considered an acceptable “naughty” behavior?
While I don’t believe there is a concrete answer to these questions,
you have no doubt had these questions in your mind at some time. So have your co-workers. The real question is how will you respond to
these questions?
A proper understanding of addictive behaviors starts with a
grounded understanding in God’s Word.
Addictive behaviors start out as pleasure fillers with no
responsibility attached. People like to
experience pleasure, and is that wrong? No.
In his book Sex &
Money, Paul David Tripp points out that,
“Pleasure exits because it fits with God’s purpose for his
creation. It is one of his chief gifts
to us” (56).
“All pleasure problems are heart problems” (58).
“Pleasure exists to stimulate worship”. God meant it to
bring glory to himself (59).
“Boundless pleasure is a deception” (61).
Lastly, Tripp shares that people are approaching pleasure the
wrong way and asking it to satisfy their hearts, which it can never do. Only God can satisfy (64).
This understanding of pleasure is key to addressing any addictive
behaviors, including gambling. Your
co-workers may ask you if the Bible speaks about gambling.
So here are some verses to study and
ponder.
Proverbs 13:11
Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money
little by little makes it grow.
 |
| Photo mine |
Luke 16:13
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one
and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve both God and money.”
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Whoever loves money never has
enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.
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.”
Tripp’s conclusion that “all pleasure problems are heart
problems”, is not an exaggeration. He
got this right from the Word of God.
God
knows the heart and addresses the heart.
He knows the basis of your actions.
He also knows that He created you to find pleasure in Him and crave
Him. When we try to use boundless
pleasures to fulfill our heart’s desire we will always come up empty, searching
for more.
Let your searching stop with Jesus Christ.
Ivy
To read more, check out these resources:
I love that last paragraph. I too believe this world's sin problems could be solved if people would seek to satisfy their heart's desire with the Creator rather than His creation. This goes for Christians too. We let earthly things distract us. It's time we stop abusing God's creation and use it rightly as we strive to focus on Him.
ReplyDeleteIvy, this post is great. I really appreciate the breadth of sources you draw upon. Citing sources that are "closer to home" as well as international adds credibility to your stance. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIvy, I am glad you are tackling an issue that I really don't hear others talk about. Before reading your article, I had an absurd thought that gambling isn't that big of an issue so why talk about it. Yet, I was humbled and proven wrong in thought. Your article does a great break down of gambling through the lens of addition and Scripture. The root of gambling is what you address and it is at the core of every one. Thanks for discussing this topic.
ReplyDeleteIvy, this is a good post. Gambling stems so much from a broken system of thinking. So many people are stricken with the concept that gambling could offer them some glimmer of hope for the future. They view is as that one shot for them to get themselves out of a life of poverty. The reality is that almost inevitably it ends up deepening their poverty. So many people cannot feed their families because they are spending their money on slots or online poker. Sports gambling is just another facet of this that has become deeply engrained in our society. This has gotten even worse lately since the rise of draft kings and fan duel, two "daily fantasy football" sites who make millions of dollars off of gamblers across the world. It is a dangerous combination of things people are easily addicted to. Gambling is just another symptom of spiritual sickness and emotional wounds, and we ought to address it in ourselves and lovingly in others.
ReplyDelete