State sanctioned gambling
- Thread starter Athanasius377
- Start date
-
Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.
If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!
To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Gambling
What is it? Take a risky action in the hope of a desired result.
When Hebrews says that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for" it is acknowledging that we are taking a risk.
In these verses Paul makes it clear he is risking everything:
12 Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised: 14 and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised: 17 and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.
We call it faith, but remember, hope that is seen is not hope. Faith is the substance of things not seen.
Ephaphroditus risked his life. All of the martyrs risked their lives. By comparison risking a few dollars in a game of chance is a shabby counterfeit, they do it for the hope of gain and because they love money they will become addicted.
They have a shabby hope, a shabby love, and no clue what real faith is, so they call it chance.
By comparison giving your life to Jesus because you love Him and you have a hope for a better city and you believe in God's word enough to hazard your life. That is the reality of gambling.
What is it? Take a risky action in the hope of a desired result.
When Hebrews says that "faith is the assurance of things hoped for" it is acknowledging that we are taking a risk.
In these verses Paul makes it clear he is risking everything:
12 Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been raised: 14 and if Christ hath not been raised, then is our preaching vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised: 17 and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.
We call it faith, but remember, hope that is seen is not hope. Faith is the substance of things not seen.
Ephaphroditus risked his life. All of the martyrs risked their lives. By comparison risking a few dollars in a game of chance is a shabby counterfeit, they do it for the hope of gain and because they love money they will become addicted.
They have a shabby hope, a shabby love, and no clue what real faith is, so they call it chance.
By comparison giving your life to Jesus because you love Him and you have a hope for a better city and you believe in God's word enough to hazard your life. That is the reality of gambling.
Incomplete. That is not the only difference. If we give our lives to the Lord it is because we love the Lord, people who become addicted to gambling love money. People of faith, like Abraham, are looking for a better city in which righteousness dwells, that is our hope that is not seen. People who are addicted to gambling do so because of the hope of gain, their heart and treasure is in the world, the Lord instructs us to put our treasure in heaven and then our heart will be there also.
You have been given this life. You don't know how many years that is. Maybe you get 80, maybe more, maybe less. What you do with that time has huge consequences that will reverberate for all of eternity. That is gambling. You will be judged for every idle word you speak, so when you speak you are gambling, how will this impact my judgement?
Every decision you make has risks, that term "risk" simply refers to gambling.
You have been given this life. You don't know how many years that is. Maybe you get 80, maybe more, maybe less. What you do with that time has huge consequences that will reverberate for all of eternity. That is gambling. You will be judged for every idle word you speak, so when you speak you are gambling, how will this impact my judgement?
Every decision you make has risks, that term "risk" simply refers to gambling.
Where your treasure is there will your heart be also
This site gives you the declining purchasing power of the US dollar from 1913 to 2020. It is as though $100 has shrunk to $3.
https://observationsandnotes.blogspot.com/2011/04/100-year-declining-value-of-us-dollar.html
So before someone gets all happy that their investment has tripled in the stock market you should do a few calculations.
1. Have you paid taxes on those gains? You can't triple your money without first paying tax on that gain.
2. Have you calculated the decreased purchasing power of that dollar of what is left?
Only after you do those two things can you truly know how much you have "gained".
Still it is possible that you have gained, but remember, if your investment went up real fast you will be taxed at a higher rate, so day traders are getting especially crushed on taxes.
3. Then remember that you have not made anything until you sell. In 2021 a coworker of my wife had $2 million in Bitcoin, that was November of 2021. I advised that he sell it and buy a house. He declined and Bitcoin then dropped to about $600,000. Why would he decline, simply because selling would mean he had to pay taxes on close to a $2 million in gain and in NY you have city, state and federal taxes which will take half of that money. He thinks he has $2 million, in reality he has $1 million. Also, at that time $750k for a house in NY was nice, but nothing special. But if you are afraid to sell at 2 million no way you want to sell at $600k. If he did that you can forget the new house, simply use the money to pay off your mortgage.
But that isn't the biggest loss. The biggest loss is that your heart is where your treasure is. If you bought Bitcoin and it went to $2 million your heart is on that. You are watching it every day. Your hopes and your dreams are tied up in something that is a wisp of smoke and that will disappear when the wind blows. You are surrounded by thieves, and rust and moths. So while your investment is rising to $2 million it turns out that $2 million doesn't buy what it once did.
How did you make this huge mistake? You didn't appreciate the only thing you had that had value and that was time. You invested your time into something that was vanity and you are poor with God.
This site gives you the declining purchasing power of the US dollar from 1913 to 2020. It is as though $100 has shrunk to $3.
https://observationsandnotes.blogspot.com/2011/04/100-year-declining-value-of-us-dollar.html
So before someone gets all happy that their investment has tripled in the stock market you should do a few calculations.
1. Have you paid taxes on those gains? You can't triple your money without first paying tax on that gain.
2. Have you calculated the decreased purchasing power of that dollar of what is left?
Only after you do those two things can you truly know how much you have "gained".
Still it is possible that you have gained, but remember, if your investment went up real fast you will be taxed at a higher rate, so day traders are getting especially crushed on taxes.
3. Then remember that you have not made anything until you sell. In 2021 a coworker of my wife had $2 million in Bitcoin, that was November of 2021. I advised that he sell it and buy a house. He declined and Bitcoin then dropped to about $600,000. Why would he decline, simply because selling would mean he had to pay taxes on close to a $2 million in gain and in NY you have city, state and federal taxes which will take half of that money. He thinks he has $2 million, in reality he has $1 million. Also, at that time $750k for a house in NY was nice, but nothing special. But if you are afraid to sell at 2 million no way you want to sell at $600k. If he did that you can forget the new house, simply use the money to pay off your mortgage.
But that isn't the biggest loss. The biggest loss is that your heart is where your treasure is. If you bought Bitcoin and it went to $2 million your heart is on that. You are watching it every day. Your hopes and your dreams are tied up in something that is a wisp of smoke and that will disappear when the wind blows. You are surrounded by thieves, and rust and moths. So while your investment is rising to $2 million it turns out that $2 million doesn't buy what it once did.
How did you make this huge mistake? You didn't appreciate the only thing you had that had value and that was time. You invested your time into something that was vanity and you are poor with God.
While it may seem like the government is only creating an illusion of fighting gambling, there are many laws and regulations in place to prevent illegal and unethical gambling practices. For example, many countries have laws that regulate online gambling sites like 신규슬롯사이트, requiring them to be licensed and adhere to certain standards of fair play and customer protection. It's also true that gambling can be a very lucrative industry, and some governments may be more interested in the revenue generated from legal gambling activities than in completely eradicating the practice.
-
1
- Show all
some verses to consider: Psalms 15:5, 1st Timothy 6:10, Ecclesiastes 7:12. gambling is improper. would Jesus gamble? NO. some say God may approve if someone is always responsible paying bills, tithing, & assisting others & once in a while spends 5 or $10 on a scratch ticket. i've heard pastors say that. but everyone's conscious always tells them when to stop if they are gambling but few listen. imagine if everybody spent the $ they're gambling on people who are in need!!!
-
1
- Show all
Yes. The government in Britain have been passing laws to make accessing gambling easier for some years now. It's sad. I have known even Christians who had a serious gambling problem. This is definitely an issue the church should speak out on, speaking out against the prevalence of gambling. Warning people about the dangers of gambling, (It may seem harmless but even satan can masquerade as an angel of light). And helping those who are ensnared in it. Thanks for raising this issue. God Bless You 
The collapse of SVB is because this really was run more like a casino than a bank. They were taking huge gambles and leveraged to the hilt. But guess what, when they lose they don't lose, you do! Biden said that even the uninsured assets would be replaced! How? By fees at banks. The banks will take that money from your bank account to repay these people in Silicon Valley, so don't worry, that ski trip to Tahoe is still good, payments on your yacht, no problem.
No one forces anyone to gamble. So you can't really say the state is "preying" on its citizens. If no one chose to engage in this foolishness, the state could do nothing. It is interesting to see how many Indian reservations have set up casinos and are raking in the big bucks. But everyone knows (or should know) that the game is rigged in favor of the house.
-
1
- Show all
The revenue gained from. lotto, races, sports betting etc is held in trust and meant to go to charities like schools and community organisations that you have to apply for.
It does make money because people like a 'flutter'. Even the former Queen of England liked to go to the races and bet on horses. Of course she had the best breeds and usually won.
It does make money because people like a 'flutter'. Even the former Queen of England liked to go to the races and bet on horses. Of course she had the best breeds and usually won.
Did Jesus gamble, Im trying to think if he did as he usually had no money, or when he found it, it was out of a fish
And the coin had Caesars head on it so he gave it back to Caesar.
In the Bible to solve a dilemma sometimes they drew lots or they had urrim and thurrim which seem to me some kind of ancient dice. Jewish people also like to play a game of dreidl.
And the coin had Caesars head on it so he gave it back to Caesar.
In the Bible to solve a dilemma sometimes they drew lots or they had urrim and thurrim which seem to me some kind of ancient dice. Jewish people also like to play a game of dreidl.