If You Hope To Win The Lottery Someday, Here Are 7 Things You Should Know!

Yeeesss!!! I have the winning numbers, is something everyone who plays the lottery hopes to say when the winning numbers are announced on TV. Many these days look forward to being given that big check. Like many already know, this Check would not be the normal one that we use at our banks on a regular basis. It will be one of the extra-large ones that is given to winners of huge sums of money especially lottery winners. Most of us don’t dream of any other name written on that check except ours, with a huge amount of money preferable in tens or hundreds of millions written right next to our names. We dream of how we and our families will no longer have to lack any good thing having suddenly come into this huge amount of money.

As good Christians we may also be thinking of how much we will give to the church, our Pastors, Charity, etc. We immediately see ourselves as people who have inherited God’s promise of prosperity that we have long prayed, believed and waited for. Some of us will be excited at the thought of sharing our testimony with the celebrating and awe stuck members of our church. What a dream!

My focus today however is on something many have not really thought about in their pursuit of quick wealth through playing the lottery. As much as God wants to bless us, He doesn’t cut corners and wants us to be like him in all we do. After been recently asked of my thoughts on Christians playing the lottery, I decided to highlight some points that I believe will help us look at playing the lottery differently.

I  will like to state at this point that I don’t personally think it is proper for Christians to play lottery. Before you discredit my stand, I kindly ask that you hear me out. These are my reasons:

1. Playing the lottery downplays God’s Image and likeness in us.

God created us in his image and likeness and that image talks about a God who is a creator meaning, He is creative. He made us in His image to create and not just get something for nothing. The nature of God in us is creative so the nature of God in us should make us creative. Playing lottery downplays that. There is no creativity in playing lottery. Playing lottery deprives us of the nature of God which is to create and be creative. Lottery stops us from being our best. We don’t improve ourselves and we don’t add any value to ourselves. We are deprived of the best we could become, because we get something for nothing.

2. Due to lack of work, Skills, and expertise, Most winners end up back to where they started.

The nature of lottery is the desire to gain wealth without the necessary skill, labor and expertise required. That is why research has proven that 10 years after winning the lottery, 90% of the winners are back to square one, because they squandered the money. They were not able to retain it in a period of 10 years. The reason why they are not able to retain their wealth is because they had not developed their skills, expertise and work ability to have such an amount of money. So the only legitimate source of wealth is work, skills and expertise.

3. Lottery is based on luck and chance Which is not God’s Mode Of Operation.

Lottery is based on luck and chance. People who play lottery are giving their lives over to luck and chance, which is contradictory to the revealed mode of God’s operation. God wants us to live by understanding, that is why he gave us His commandment in the Bible. For the same reason He put the whole of creation under concrete laws and rules. There is certainty in nature and in God’s mode of operation. Whereas playing lottery reduces our nature to living by chance and probability. Life is meant to be predictable and not a guess work.

4. Lottery encourages irresponsible stewardship.

Lottery encourages irresponsible stewardship in the sense that it tempts people to throw away their hard earned money and income. The money that should be used for the fees of their children or to bring food to the table or to do things that should bring fort the responsibility of the man or woman is being thrown into the air. This is because a lottery player will never be sure that the money he or she is giving out will come back, talk less of been multiplied.

5. Lottery devalues God’s principles and promotes Laziness, emptiness and vanity.

The nature of God and his requirement of man is that of diligence and hard work. Playing lottery suggests that one can get something in life without working hard for it. It suggests that diligence is not valued. It reduces precious qualities in man. It develops laziness, emptiness and vanity in people.

6.  Lottery Breeds sin.

At the very foundation of lottery lies the sin of lust, greed and covetousness which is a direct opposite of God’s commandments.

7. Playing lottery is a form of robbery.

Playing lottery is a form of robbery. It takes from thousands of people and in the real sense only a few get to win something. The real winner is the organizer of the lottery, while thousands of people are left without their income. It robs the majority to give to some. It is a form of exploitation. It is taking advantage of people, because they hope to get more, but in the real sense they are being exploited. It is the exploitation of others by some.

FOR   THE   LOVE   OF   GOD,  AND   NATION

By Pastor Sunday Adelaja