May 27, 2024 – Is God In The Gambling Business?

Is God In The Gambling Business?
May 27, 2024

DAILY PROVERB:

Proverbs 13:10-12
Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

OUTLOOK ON THE IN BOOK:

     In the late 1990s, there was a man in the news who won a large sum of money from the lottery. According to newspaper reports, he thanked God for helping him pick the right numbers and was planning to donate a significant portion of the money to his church.

    Several people I know commented, “Oh, how I wish that could have been our church.” I understand they meant this in an innocent and loving way. At the time, we were in the midst of a building program, and having all the necessary funds to complete the structure would have been nice. However, let’s pause for a moment. Didn’t he acquire all that money through gambling? Didn’t thousands upon thousands of people, many of whom really needed their money, foolishly wager their bets, and lose them for him to become wealthy? Some people risked their rent money, while others allowed their children to go hungry due to their gambling addiction.

    Do you truly believe that God had anything to do with it? The same God who states in Proverbs 13:11, “wealth gotten by VANITY shall be diminished.” The word “vanity” means emptiness or “like a breath,” signifying something insubstantial. This man essentially gambled and received this money without earning it through labor. It would be interesting to know what happened to his money in the following years. It’s often reported that many individuals who come into sudden wealth end up broke within a short period.

THE WORD WALKING IN ME:

     As we look at the wealth of the world, the idea of gambling becomes enticing, to say the least, especially knowing we could use the money for so many great things for the Lord. We must know, though, that it’s always better to wait upon the Lord with His timing and His plan than to cave into the vices of sin and of man. As the second part of the verse says, “he that gathereth by labor shall increase.” Let’s just do things God’s way, shall we?

Do we trust that God can, and will supply all our need?

 

IF YOU ARE JOURNALING:

Ask yourself, what are MY THOUGHTS concerning this Passage, and todays Devotion?

Do I find within this reading a CHALLENGE for my life?

What are one or two things I WILL DO today or this week to accept that CHALLENGE?

  

GOD TALKING TO ME: May 27, 2024

THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH A DAILY PROVERBS
    2 Chronicles 29-32
   Proverbs 13:10 – 12

THROUGH THE BIBLE OLD & NEW TESTAMENT DAILY
   1 Kings 22
   John 9:1-23