Did you know that people earning less than $10,000 per year buy more lottery tickets than any other income group? Scriptures tell us that get rich quick schemes will lead to poverty (Prov 21:5). Hmmm. It is clear in Scripture that gambling is a sin, that gambling is built on the sin of greed, materialism, irresponsible stewardship and distrust in His provision (to mention a few). I could never out write or out preach what many trusted Biblical scholars have written and or preached on this subject, for a great example of that click here.
I have had this discussion many times before, with brothers and sisters in Christ, and with non believers and I have settled on an answer that suits me (which may very well be v e r y wrong). But anyway, here it is:
Specifically, is it a sin to participate in work place pools such as the 2009 NCAA tournament championship selections, where you pick who you believe will win each game in the first round, to sweet 16 to national champs?
My personal take on this situation is this: Realizing that I am in-fact making my picks and submitting my $5.00 (the amount has no bearing on whether it is right or wrong of course), and may "win" a larger amount of money depending on my selections, I view this as entertainment versus gambling. I differentiate between gambling and entertainment by my motivation. It is not my desire to prosper from entering this pool, but to have fun. I find it fun to watch the games, cheering for the teams I picked and fellowshiping with my co-workers. Do you think what I'm doing is ok? Do you think my take on this situation is in-correct? Am I being deceived by the great deceiver? Or is it; "It's just a basketball pool at work. Pony up your picks and your 5 bucks and have some fun"?
What do you think, and where do you draw the line?.................................................comments,,,
I participated once in one of those pools, but started feeling so guilty, I had to pull out of it before it was over. I can't say it's wrong for others, but I couldn't do it. Not to say I don't print out brackets on my own and play along without any money being involved. Just to see if I could win if I did play. :)
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