Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many people gamble quite frequently, and although they might not readily admit it, a lot of them have become addicted to it and it becomes a normal part of their life. Some people become addicted to drugs, but the lust for money is by far a worse addiction than any heroin addict. This is because it is driven by greed and the lust for financial gain.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
There are many evil things in this world that people can get involved with, but the scriptures are clear that the love of money is the root of all evil.
1 Timothy 6:10 (KJB) For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
This desire for money can cause somebody to do a lot of evil things, and it is stronger than any nicotine habit. The desire for riches is a stronger addiction than ten fentanyl addicts combined. Many rich people will laugh at that, but that is because they are completely deceived by the devil. Oh they will quickly point the finger at a drug addict, rather than looking into the mirror and realizing that they have the worst addiction of all, the love of money. Because the Apostle teaches that it is the root of all evil, it is by far one of the greatest sins in the scriptures. Rich people will sit down in the living room on couches and furniture that are worth more than many poor people making an entire year. When their neighbor down the street can’t even afford to buy their own clothes or food, they laugh it up, dance around their heathen trees, stuff themselves with food, and then tell everybody a merry Christmas. What complete hypocrites! These people are evil. The desire to obtain more wealth can also cause a person to get involved with many other wicked deeds. such as stealing people’s possessions, robbing a bank, or even prostituting oneself for money. A wicked wife might depart her husband and divorce him in order to get child support or alimony.
Some people even seek political office not because they want to do justice for others, but so they can become a millionaire, or be able to sell books on a speaking tour. They will even make decisions in office for the purpose of affecting certain markets so they can expand their own personal holdings, or the financial situations of their friends. This is evil, because when money becomes the motivation for doing something, you had better get ready for hell and damnation. Corruption like this happens every single day, but God is not mocked, and He sees everything that people do. Without repentance, people such as these are going to reap His wrath.
James 5:1 (KJB) Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
Gambling is an offshoot of the love of money because if people were truly content with what they already had, they wouldn’t be sitting at a poker table somewhere. There is really no entertainment value in gambling, because the truth is that you are playing with fire.
Have you ever wondered why they offer cheap food in casinos? It’s to lure you in. Have you ever wondered why they mail you coupons for free chips? This is because they are trying to entice you, by igniting those lustful desires in your heart so you throw more of your own money into their coffers. Longing after financial gain is a greedy and lustful desire that just like other sins, must be completely eliminated from one’s life. The desire to be rich, (no matter what actions are taken to succeed at this), is an unending cycle of drudgery that will only lead people to pain, agony, and the pits of everlasting fire.
1 Timothy 6:6-9 (KJB) But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Some people gamble because they want to make a month’s wages in just a matter of minutes, but after a few bad rounds, they only find themselves knee deep in debt with their credit cards maxed out. To make up for this, they will go even further into debt by borrowing money from a bank or from a loan shark with extremely high interest. They will attempt to make it all back at the table, and after a few good hands, their bets will get increasingly higher until they throw in the title to their vehicles or the deed to their homes, and before they know what hit them, it’s all gone. The desire for riches is a very deceitful lust, choking off one’s relationship and love for God, and leading to an unfruitful life.
Mark 4:18-19 (KJB) And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
People can spend all of their lives storing up their money and possessions and in a blink of our eye have it all wiped away. Thieves can break through and steal it all, or God can take ones soul before they have the opportunity to give it away to others who need it.
Luke 12:16-21 (KJB) And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
One time I talked to a very wealthy man who told me that he knew it wasn’t going to go very well for him at the judgment. What matters on that day will be what you did with the things that God gave you while you were alive here on the Earth. After death it will be far too late, because repentance at that point will be no longer an option.
Matthew 16:26 (KJB) For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
In the story of The Prodigal Son, he gave his children their inheritance before he passed away. Sorry, but wills don’t count because if death is the only thing that can wring money from your hands, then it was never truly given to others out of love.
Luke 18:22-25 (KJB) Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Love for the things of this world, especially the desire for riches, completely ruins one’s relationship with God. This is because their hearts are not focused on Him, but rather on obtaining the temporal things of this world.
Luke 16:13 (KJB) No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The only thing that can save us is our close relationship with the Lord Jesus, and faithful submission to His will. Lusting after money is the root of all evil, because so many other sins are closely connected to it. When your hearts are focused on money, they are not focused on God, and such is the sinful vice of,……
……The Gambler
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.♥️
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