Then I really hope you read this. I am in a place with a lot of people. A lot of people from very, very different worlds.
My husband has a conference here in Mt. Pleasant, at the Soaring Eagle Casino. Now before I continue, yes I did some gambling, but I did not go crazy. I believe that there's nothing wrong with gambling as long as you treat it like drinking. A drink here or there is fine, but you're not to get drunk. I would also however, refrain from either of those things in the presence of someone who DOES have a problem with it. It's not that big of a deal to me.
I have to admit that it's really a challenge for me to stop when I said I was going to. When I was a bit younger it was even worse. But we're talking maybe 100, 150 dollars here.
I usually play like quarter slots. That's as big a spender as I get.: ) This man next to me was loading one hundred dollar bills into this machine and losing them in about 3 minutes. I was like whoa! Then I had to wonder if he even had it to spend!
What's really scary is the people I see that look like they are on their last penny, and they play it anyway. I fear that addiction is rampant here, as it is in many other places.
Food.
Cigarettes.
Porn.
Shopping.
Working.
Sex.
Alcohol.
Drugs.
Money.
I'll bet everyone who will ever read this knows someone, someone who calls themselves a Christian, that is addicted to one or more of the above. I do. I AM one of those people. I used to be addicted to cigarettes, I used to be addicted to alcohol, and I am addicted to food. I am not judging or pointing fingers.
Do you know what all those things have in common? They are idols. God told us to serve none but Him, and I think some people think, well I DON'T worship any other God! Be very careful of that statement friend.
Whatever you give the most time to in your life, even if it's your thought life, that's an idol. That's what's important to you.
This country....it NEEDS Christians to shape up and start acting like their name! CHRIST-ian. Godly. Loving. NON-JUDGEMENTAL. Helpful. Selfless. Serving. And giving a crap about who is running the government.
I truly believe that if every Christian made sure they were registered to vote, then got out and voted on election day, we would have a different government all together. I am not Republican. I am not a Democrat. I'm Conservative, but neither party at this point is doing the right thing.
We have a Christian responsibility to vote. If every Christian in California wrote a letter to the judge who overthew Prop 8, would it still have been overturned? Would Obama have been elected? Would we still be on the road to Socialism?
We are Sodom and Gomorrah, friends, and if you know the story, it doesn't end well. So I'm asking you to pray. Every day. For yourself. For you family. For this country. God will not hold His wrath forever.
13 "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. II Chronicles 7:13-15
First this definitely says that God can and will send drought, plagues, and locusts. But it says if we HUMBLE ourselves, if we PRAY, if we SEEK GOD'S FACE, if we TURN FROM OUR WICKED WAYS, God promises to hear us. He promises to heal our land.
I don't know about you, but I think America could use all the healing it could get!
Well, Kerri, you certainly sound zealous. I would like to point out a couple of things. First, it really is not okay to gamble. Paul writes in 2 Thess. 9We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." And if you "win," especially in a casino, who's money are you winning?
ReplyDeleteSecondly, Christians are called to judge the unsaved and call them to repentance, as well as, practice church discipline when a Christian is openly sinning.
Lastly, the verses you quoted from II Chron. are written to the children of Israel, not us. So while, it tells us the character of God, it's not something to be taken out of context and used directly to apply to us in 2010.
Blessings.
I just read this comment and feel I must respond. I don't usually argue theology back and forth, verse for verse, etc. I have made it clear that these are MY opinions, and I also believe that people may interpret different parts of the Bible differently. And unless it's a "salvaltion issue" I don't think it's THAT big of a deal. Every Christian could "do better." But that's the miracle here...it's not about "doing." It's about grace.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, while the passage in II Chron. was specifically written to the Israelites at that moment in time, do you not think that wecan glean from it and learn from their example? Do you not believe that if we repent God will heal out land? Do you not believe that He will not hold His wrath forever from this rebellious nation?
Lastly, I leave you with the words of Jesus Himself on the whole judgement issue: Matthew 7: 1-5 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.