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
Meats	Italian	Italian2	6	servings

INGREDIENTS

1	md	Onion; finely chopped
30	ml	Garlic; finely chopped
1	ts	Sweet basil
1	tb	Olive oil
		Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/4	lb	Ground beef
28	oz	Tomato puree
15	oz	Tomato sauce
6	oz	Tomato paste
		Water
1	ts	Sugar
2		Bay leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown onion, garlic and sweet basil in olive oil. Add salt and pepper.
After onion is yellowish, add ground beef. Brown. Add tomato puree,
tomato sauce and tomato paste. Fill each can with water. Pour water
into sauce. Add sugar and bay leaves. Stir well. Cover. Simmer for 1
hour. Remove cover. Simmer 1 more hour. Serve.
Per serving: 425 Calories (kcal); 28g Total Fat; (57% calories from
fat); 20g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 80mg Cholesterol; 1246mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 4 1/2 Vegetable; 0
Fruit; 4 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates
Converted by MM_Buster v2.0n.

A Message from our Provider:

“Forgive your enemies – it messes with their heads!”

When I speak of “means,” I have in view Bible-reading, private prayer, regular attendance on public worship, regular hearing of God’s Word, and regular reception of the Lord’s Supper. I lay it down as a simple matter of fact, that no one who is careless about such things must ever expect to make much progress in sanctification. I can find no record of any eminent saint who ever neglected them. They are appointed channels through which the Holy Spirit conveys fresh supplies of grace to the soul, and strengthens the work which He has begun in the inward man. Let men call this legal doctrine if they please, but I will never shrink from declaring my belief that there are no “spiritual gains without pains”… Our God is a God who works by means, and He will never bless the soul of that man who pretends to be so high and spiritual that he can get on without them.

J.C. Ryle