The Gambler

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

¹⁹ He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough! ²⁰ A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. Prov 28:19-20 (NKJV)

and those wishing to be rich, do fall into temptation and a snare, and many desires, foolish and hurtful, that sink men into ruin and destruction, 1 Timothy 6:9 (YLT)

Lottery tickets are sold by the millions to people who believe one day they will strike it rich when they have the winning ticket. Gambling is not the way to acquire riches. In fact it is a better way to loose riches. One is much better for having worked for what they possess then to try to win it at a game of chance. I may not be a gambler but I do understand that the roll of a dice can cost you great amounts of money. Some people seem to think they can beat the odds, or beat the house, but anyone who knows, knows the house always wins.

Gambling with the will of God

Some people choose the will of God by a toss of the dice instead of seeking His voice to hear what it is He would have them do. The devil would have us think that we too can beat the odds by rolling the dice and taking our chances on salvation by skirting the way that God prescribed for us to be saved. We must call on the name of the Lord. There is no other way prescribed under heaven whereby a man can be saved. It is not a crap shoot, it is a done deal. We can trust in God’s word and God’s ways of doing things. His will and way will end up being beneficial to us, skirting His ways will not be. Gambling with the plan of salvation is foolish.

Flipping a coin, rolling the dice, spinning a wheel, Eenie meenie minnie moe, does not sound like a solid plan for decision making. I know many people like to just take their chances in life and really have no actual plan of how they are going to achieve anything. They are of the persuasion that no matter what happens, the government or someone is going to come to their rescue. They think someone is always there to bail them out no matter what bad decisions they may make. That is a bit naïve at best and not very sound when planning for the future.

It is true, for the most part, the poorest person in America still lives better than two thirds of the world’s population. Being part of a blessed nation does have its advantages but to go through life hapless and without purpose seems like a gamble. Life is full of surprises but if you take care of the basics and build on a solid foundation then you can be assured that your house will not fall into complete ruin when disaster strikes.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25 (ESV)

We can have confidence that someone will be looking out for us if we build our life on God’s word and His principles. That same word will be looking out for us no matter what it is we face in life. No matter what storms life may throw your way, if you base your life’s decisions on the word of God then you have confidence that God will be there for you. He is the rock solid foundation you can rest assured will never fail.

I do not know about you but I would hate to base my financial future on a roll of the dice, a flip of a card, a spin of the wheel, or some lottery somewhere. I like to know that for the most part my future is secure and not up to chance. I can be confident that my financial house is in order by proper planning and preparation. So too it is possible to be sure that my spiritual house is in order as well. Taking care of the important things in life is not something to be left up to chance.

Do not place your hope and life choices on a roll of the dice.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}