Dear Conrad -- Is it a sin to gamble? -– Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Gambling gets to a larger issue of stewardship of the resources God has given us. God has given us gifts, talents and resources, which are to be used for the furtherance of his kingdom.

Obviously there is good stuff to use time and money on. But when it becomes a problem is when we are being poor stewards of these resources.

MT 25:22 "The man with the two talents also came. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'

MT 25:23 "His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

MT 25:24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. `Master,' he said, `I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. [25] So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

MT 25:26 "His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? [27] Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

We have been given charge of God’s resources and we are called to be wise with it. Gambling with 1000-1 odds isn’t a very wise thing to do with God’s money. Indeed it would be foolish for us to try to make money that way.

This issue also is about motivation. Are you gambling trying to make money? Thus making money your idol? Or are you merely spending a dollar in some charity bingo or an office basketball pool?

This really deals with being a good steward. Gambling away $1000, buying $1000 of something completely useless, or using $1000 to buy something bad – would all be sinful uses of God’s resources.

So we would have to get past both - is it a good use of our resources AND what is my motivation – if we are to use our money the way God intended.