Does the Bible explicitly condemn or forbid gambling? No. However, I do believe there are certain principles that militate against it. 1. Gambling is poor stewardship. The believer’s responsibility is to use wealth to promote the kingdom of God. The emphasis in Scripture is never on the use of money with a view to increasing one’s personal fortune but on putting our money to use in the service of those who are in need. It simply is not wise and responsible behavior to take what God has graciously bestowed and entrust it to circumstances over which we have no control (Pr. 12:11). 2. The biblical command is that the believer should obtain money by faithful and diligent exercise of God-given talents in work. Gambling is an attempt to obtain money that promotes sloth and is often an excuse for not working. 3. Gambling promotes covetousness and greed, whereas the Word of God encourages contentment (Phil. 4:11-12; Heb. 13:5). If one is seven times more likely to be struck by lightning than to win a million dollars in a state lottery, why do people continue to buy tickets? Greed! 4. Gambling appears to create a condition in which one person's gain is necessarily another person's loss. In other words, in gambling, someone always loses. If so, it would seem to violate brotherly love and justice. 5. There is a fundamental flaw in the character of any government that seeks to capitalize financially on the moral weakness of its members. 6. Gambling appears to violate our belief in the sovereignty of God. 7. Gambling has such a powerful potential for enslaving those who participate that it may well violate the admonition of Scripture that we not be mastered by anything or anyone other than the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:12).

Sam Storms

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy, Eggs		Cheese/eggs	1	Servings

INGREDIENTS

2/3	c	Popcorn
1/3	c	Butter
1/2	c	Fresh chives
1	c	Finely grated parmesan cheese salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Pop the popcorn.  Melt the butter.  Grind the pepper into the butter, (as
much as you want).  Chop the chives up and sprinkle on the top of the
popcorn along with the grated cheese. Drizzle the butter mixture over the
popcorn and salt.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

A Message from our Provider:

“Down in the mouth? It’s time for a faith lift”

The soldiers that spat upon Him, and mocked Him, met not with a reproachful expression from Him. He held His peace at their clamors, offered His back to their scourges, reviled them not when He lay under the greatest violence of their rage, was patient under His sufferings, while He was despised more than any man by the people. His calmness was more stupendous than their rage, and the angels could not but more inexpressibly wonder at the patience of the sufferer, than the unmercifulness of the executioners; He was more willing to die, than they were to put Him to death; He suffered not by force, He courted the effusion of His blood, when He knew that the hour which His Father had appointed, and man needed, was approaching. Neither the infamy of the cross, nor the sharpness of the punishment, nor the present and foreseen ingratitude of his enemies, could deter Him from desiring and effecting man's salvation. He went to it, not only as a duty, but an honor; and was content for a while to be the sport of devils, that He might be the spring of salvation to men.

Stephen Charnock