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Notes

Thomas White, President of ��������, spoke about gambling and encouraged us to ask, “What are my actions teaching my heart to love?”

Dr. White defined gambling as “staking money or something valuable on an uncertain outcome where the person has no ability to influence the results in hope of receiving a greater return through the wager.” He walked us through four questions to analyze our actions.

Question #1: Does this seek my neighbor’s good?

Scriptures like Proverbs 3:27–29 call us to love our neighbors by seeking their good. We must consider others when we decide what to do with our money.

Love considers a neighbor’s loss. In gambling, someone profits at their neighbor’s expense. Love also honors a neighbor’s worth. If you bet on sports, you may begin to resent injured players or referees who make a bad call because they are losing your money. This is the wrong heart posture to have.

Question #2: Am I seeking a shortcut?

Scripture tells us to work with diligence. Proverbs 28:19 talks about working in the field God has given you, and verse 20 talks about valuing faithfulness more than speed.

Faithfulness might look like showing up for your shift or completing your assignment when you’d rather do something else.

Betting sells you the shortcut — asking to abandon the Father’s will by skipping the hard work and getting the reward quickly. Satan offered Jesus the same thing. But as Christians, we should be willing to work, save, wait, and give.

Question #3: Is this becoming my master?

Societal harm comes from gambling. A lottery can be sold as a way out of hardship for people in need. As Dr. White said, “when one person’s financial desperation becomes another person’s business opportunity, something has gone wrong.”

We can become addicted to the dopamine hits that gambling gives us. Respect your personal limits. Proverbs 25:28 talks about a man without self-control. You might promise yourself that you’ll be done after one more game, but when you lose, your emotions will tell you to keep going.

If you let your desires direct your decisions, your freedom to gamble may become bondage and addiction. Respond to warning signs when you notice them.

Question #4: Am I trusting in God’s provision?

Proverbs 30:8–9 encourages us to pray for the provision we need and to remember God. The goal is not to secure a life in which we never need Him; the goal is to walk with Him faithfully in plenty or in poverty.

We are also encouraged to faithfully manage what we have been given. Everything is the Lord’s. Would you use His money to gamble?

Consider your motives. Faithful stewardship does not eliminate every risk, but are you serving the Master’s purposes with that risk or yours?

God gives us money, and we should use that money to give generously to others. If you’re stuck deep in a gambling problem, come to Him! His mercy and forgiveness are greater than all your sins.