Gambling, casinos, and the lottery are taboos in the church. Simply by mentioning such things can arouse a host of negative emotions in typical church goers. Some are so strongly opposed to any form of gambling that they would not allow playing cards, dice, or the like into their house or to be played with in the church. Gambling is viewed as wasteful, poor stewardship, and sinful greed of money. Gambling, of any kind, is an extremely destructive, highly risky and expensive past time.
If you spend any time near a casino you will undoubtedly find some of the most depressed people, and broken people. I’ve heard stories of mothers pushing strollers out of casinos drinking and crying about losing everything; business men bawling in bus stations after losing their entire fortune. Casinos offer “FREE” charter bus rides to the casino and those busses are filled to capacity with elderly adults pushing walkers into the casino to spend their savings. You never see those stories on Casino advertisements.
Yet while we have a fervent disdain for playing the lottery or all forms of gambling; we often can be just as guilty of gambling with God. There is a certain level of hypocrisy when we condemn casinos and gabling yet do not live honestly before God and take a gamble by not bringing the whole tithe into the storehouse, lying about our lifestyle, or only giving God partial devotion (ie. showing up on Sundays). Are we taking a deadly gamble?
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| Cause of Death: Lying to God about giving. |
In our text we read of one couple who while were not required to give all the money to God they lied to God saying they gave it all to Him yet kept a portion for themselves. They simply could have said that they were going to give God a certain percentage and keep the remainder. Instead, they were giving for the notoriety and recognition. They wanted it to be known that they were giving everything even though they were not. When we give it should be done
1. Out of a cheerful, obedient heart
2. With no desire for recognition or reward
3. In an honest and no strings attached fashion.
Hypocrisy leads to a superficial religion. Superficial religion always gives birth to PRETENDED DEVOTION, culminating in PREMEDITATED DECEPTION, leading to PENETRATING DETECTION by God of our sinfulness, which ends in PURIFYING DISCIPLINE. Be on guard that you don’t fall into this trap, for it will ultimately lead to spiritual demise.
1. Out of a cheerful, obedient heart
2. With no desire for recognition or reward
3. In an honest and no strings attached fashion.
Hypocrisy leads to a superficial religion. Superficial religion always gives birth to PRETENDED DEVOTION, culminating in PREMEDITATED DECEPTION, leading to PENETRATING DETECTION by God of our sinfulness, which ends in PURIFYING DISCIPLINE. Be on guard that you don’t fall into this trap, for it will ultimately lead to spiritual demise.
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