Either way, you lose! |
Some time ago a long-time friend we’ll call “George,” called me late at night. I could sense his hesitation and braced for the worst. He described for me how the settlement from a job-related injury had enabled him to go to  graduate school for retraining. Although he and his wife tried to be frugal, they saw that they would run out of money two semesters short of graduation. He said he scrambled to get the rest of the money from some other source.
When he paused, I knew the backgrounding was over. "Steve, I thought of a way out," George said. "I used to bet on sports events. Not a lot, it was no big deal. But it made me aware of some companies that make score predictions for gamblers. They didn't seem much different from stock market advisors. Now I researched them, I tracked their success/failure ratio for a few weeks, and then I picked one and took the plunge." Without his wife's knowledge, George took credit card cash advances and began to bet on basketball, hockey, boxing, ponies, and stock cars through an illegal bookie. George knew it was wrong, but he was desperate. He became obsessed, staying up late watching ESPN in horror as games were lost at the buzzer and horses placed second in photo-finishes. In only two weeks he had lost $10,000. And it was $10,000 he didn't have--$10,000 he had to pay back. George finally got spiritual counsel and revealed all to his wife. Predictably, Sharon exploded. To her, this was the latest entry in a long list of offenses. Now they are separated. Since both are still active Christians, there’s some hope for a reconciliation. But their future and their teenager's are tottering on a tightrope. The Holy Spirit warns, "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap.... some people, eager for money, have... pierced themselves with many griefs" (1 Tim. 6:9-10). George is pierced. If he knew you he would tell you that his gambling wasn't worth it. When he lost he brought an avalanche of trouble on his head. But it could have been much worse. He might have won and gotten hooked for life. With gambling it's heads Satan wins, tails you lose. |
| —Steve Singleton DeeperStudy.com |
Want to go deeper?The Greek noun peirasmos ("trial, test, temptation, enticement") is the word Paul chooses when speaking of the desire to get rich, which lies behind gambling fever. This is the same word Jesus uses in his model prayer when He says, "Lead us not into temptation" (Matt. 6:13) and regularly refers to the enticements of Satan. Sometimes, however, it refers more generally to trials, as the parallels to Luke 8:13 indicate ("tribulation or persecution," Mark 4:17 and Matt. 13:21). "Temptation" seems to fits this context better than trial; Paul couples it with pagis "snare, trap," which occurs once earlier in 1 Tim. 3:7 and in 2 Tim. 2:26, both specifically identifying the snare as the devil's.
Rex M. Rogers. Gambling: Don't Bet on It (2005). A newly revised and updated look at the rising popularity of legalized gambling and its detrimental effects on individuals and society. Along with presenting a clear and biblical analysis of gambling, Rogers also discusses moral and economic arguments, charity gambling, and gambling addictions.
Temptation is a doorway into the mystery of God, the author believes. Instead of trying to avoid the temptations of our daily lives, we need to recognize them as an essential part of our journey into the kingdom of God. As our model we have the three temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness: the temptations of material goods, security, and prestige. To face the reality of these temptations, even though we cannot overcome them, is to enter the spiritual life. If temptation is the doorway to fullness of life, then the "steps along the way" teach us humility--becoming more realistic about ourselves, the world we live in, and the new persons we are called to become. We learn to realize the value of others, to use our talents more effectively, and to admit that only entering into the mystery of God can truly fulfill us. This spiritual journey is more like a spiral then a path, since we will continue to meet our temptations over and over again throughout our lives as we move slowly toward the foot of the cross and the promise of resurrection. Recommended for online reading: John Flavel. 20 Questions. How to tell if you or someone you know has a gambling problem. (From Gambler's Anonymous). |
