Showing posts with label gambling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gambling. Show all posts

Saturday, May 29, 2010

One bus prayed, while the other watched

One bus was seeking praise the other plays.

It was an odd sight. Two buses met on the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart last night. The parking lot is regular loading spot for those who are riding private buses to one destination or another. Last night, one of the buses was filled with people who were going to sing praises to God in Florida. Ironically, the other bus was filled with people who were going to gamble at a Mississippi casino. (The casino charters buses to outlying cities and offers them free rides to gamble.)

The riders of the first bus formed a huge circle on the parking lot and prayed fervently for a safe passage and for God's blessing for their purpose. The second group did not pray but watched from the bus windows.

It must have been an odd moment for the riders of the first bus because there were many recognized as prominent church members on the first bus, slipping away in the dark to gamble. Something should have clicked inside when they saw the people on the second bus praying while they sat snugly, comfortably and securely watching.

Both buses left the lot, one group traveling to sing and praise and another group hoping to bet money or pick a slot machine that pays.

There is a bible passage that says, Joshua 24:15 "Choose you this day whom ye will serve;... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

We all choose to ride a life bus; only one will take us to peace in the arms of God. The other is a losing bet.

We have to choose which bus we will ride.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

She buys 100 lottery tickets every day!

It was hard to believe, but yesterday I watched a woman purchase 100 lottery tickets at one time.

The line at the convenience store was long and patrons were getting restless as we waited for the machine to print one hundred .50 cent lottery tickets for a woman who patiently waited, then handed the cashier a $50 bill. She was excited. Apparently she won $2,500.00 the night before and averages between $3,000 and $4,000 a month playing the "Pick Four game."

She explained to the attendant that she buys 100 tickets a day, spending about $1500 a month. The odds are in her favor she says, and so far she has doubled her money. She uses the first $1,500 she wins to pay for the next month.

She has no job. She plays the lottery for a living and on a good month clears about $2,500 a month. She says she never has a completely losing month, but there is always a chance.

I smiled as I watched her and thought about the millions of people who take chances with their salvation in the same way. In a cruel game of spiritual Russian Roulette some gamble on their salvation, rejecting Christ and refusing salvation; hoping to gain eternal life by chance.

Acts 4:12 reminds us that there is "none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." We should not take a chance on anything else.

We won't get to heaven by lottery and we can't devise a strategy to gain admittance. We must accept Jesus, repent from our sins, and live for him.

The lady who bought the lottery tickets says she has a fool proof plan for guaranteed income without working, but there is no guaranteed way to get to heaven without Christ.