Daily Devotional
Gambling: The Spirit Of Thievery
January 15, 2017
Ponder This
Gambling is morally wrong. Why? Because nobody wins at gambling without somebody else losing. True, legitimate business is a win-win arrangement.
Let me illustrate: I make a widget. I sell it to you for a dollar. I get the dollar, you get the widget. I win and you win. But in gambling, for every winner, there must be a loser—or more than one. Gambling is profit and pleasure at somebody else’s pain and loss.
If two people meet in a back alley and one puts a gun on the other person and takes what belongs to him, they call it thievery. But if two people meet in the casino and one takes what belongs to another, they call it gambling. Oh, they don’t call it gambling, they call it “gaming.”
When somebody gambles and wins, he has the spirit of thievery. When he gambles and loses, he’s been very foolish. So the Bible says in Habakkuk 2:6, “‘Woe to him who increases what is not his!"
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
