Jasmine’s mother repeatedly dispatches her oldest daughter to beg her father to send money home, where it is so desperately needed. But she always faces the humiliation of returning home…empty-handed.
When Jasmine’s father is at home, he is often angry and abusive. Once Jasmine had to distract him from chasing her sister with a cleaver. Jasmine herself not only endures her father’s abuse and neglect, but also a more subtle form of cruelty: She wasn’t officially named until the age of five, sending an unspoken message that Jasmine now aptly perceives as an adult: “We don’t need you—you’re a burden to the family.”
64
But it would be Jasmine’s brother who would suffer the most from gambling’s catastrophic clutch on the impoverished family. Jasmine’s father had borrowed for gambling—and lost—a large sum of money from Hong Kong mobsters. Eventually, it was time to “pay up.” He was given two options: either pay with cash or pay with the
unthinkable
—a life—the life of the unborn baby boy in Jasmine’s mother’s womb.
Following the baby’s birth, the mob took the boy. But the little baby died at two months of age as a result of diarrhea—a very preventable death. Later, Jasmine learned that she, too, was almost exchanged for gambling debts, but her mother refused to endure such brutal, emotional trauma a second time.
Throughout Jasmine’s young life, her father, who died at age 56, brought her great pain. But Jasmine had another Father,
her heavenly Father
, who brought her great peace and assurances of unconditional love. After giving her life to Christ as a teenager, Jasmine encountered an emotional and spiritual crossroads that determined her destiny. Would she allow devastating family tragedy to shadow her life, darkening hopes of ever receiving help and healing? Or would she, with God’s help, become an overcomer, finding victory over victimization?
Jasmine ultimately made the decision: She not only wanted to become an overcomer but also a “dispenser of comfort” through her Lord, as described in 1 Corinthians 2:3-4: “…the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” She eventually married a pastor, and God provided her with numerous counseling opportunities.
Seeking further education and equipping, Jasmine earned a master’s degree in counseling and initially dealt in family violence cases. In 2007 Jasmine became involved with the International Ministry Department at Hope For The Heart and now trains Chinese men and women in biblical counseling. For Jasmine, biblical counseling has helped her “sort out all those childhood traumas and learn skills to help people.”
65
Addictive gambling no longer mars Jasmine’s emotions nor denigrates her family life. “It was unfortunate to have those experiences,” she concludes, “but God has used them to make me strong.” Jasmine asked God to make her an overcomer…and He did. Not only for her own sake, but for the thousands of other lives she has touched—and continues to touch—around the world.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”
(R
OMANS
12:21).
Without ever using the word
gambling
, the Bible communicates a great deal about gambling as it lays out the principles by which we are to live our lives. God’s Word indirectly addresses many ungodly activities in this way. God has given us principles by which we can guide our decision-making, and these principles serve as a grid through which we can determine right from wrong. The apostle Paul put it this way:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking
,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man
of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”
(2 T
IMOTHY
3:16-17).
The following scriptures present 12 basic principles for living life in a way that both pleases and glorifies God.
T
WELVE
G
AMBLING
P
ROBLEMS AND
G
ODLY
P
RINCIPLES FOR
S
UCCESSFUL
L
IVING
1.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling violates the principle of faith because the gambler is trusting in chance rather than in God to supply what is needed.
Godly Principle: Demonstrate Faith
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards
those who earnestly seek him…And God is able to make all grace
abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that
you need, you will abound in every good work…And my God will
meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus”
(H
EBREWS
11:6; 2 C
ORINTHIANS
9:8; P
HILIPPIANS
4:19).
2.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling doesn’t cause contentment but is rather driven by discontentment, and is both unpredictable and unreliable, often leading to further discontentment.
Godly Principle: Experience Contentment
“Godliness with contentment is great gain…I have learned to
be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be
in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned
the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether
well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I
can do everything through him who gives me strength”
(1 T
IMOTHY
6:6; P
HILIPPIANS
4:11-13).
3.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling leads to a lack of self-control because it is addictive. And because it is not God’s method of supplying our needs, it makes us vulnerable to attacks from our enemy, the devil.
Godly Principle: Practice Self-control
“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show
restraint…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience
,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”
(P
ROVERBS
23:4; G
ALATIANS
5:22-23).
4.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling is generally driven by greed or the desire to gain more, leading to a focus on material possessions rather than on God and what He desires for us.
Godly Principle: Avoid Greed
“A greedy man brings trouble to his family…among you
there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any
kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for
God’s holy people…For of this you can be sure: No immoral
,
impure or greedy person
—
such a man is an idolater
—
has
any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God”
(P
ROVERBS
15:27; E
PHESIANS
5:3,5).
5.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling produces envy because its goal is getting goods. This inevitably leads to comparisons and results in envy and resentment.
Godly Principle: Banish Envy
“A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the
bones…For where you have envy and selfish ambition
,
there you find disorder and every evil practice”
(P
ROVERBS
14:30; J
AMES
3:16).
6.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling creates an atmosphere that breeds worry over inevitable financial losses.
Godly Principle: Don’t Worry
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat
or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, and the body more important than clothes?”
(M
ATTHEW
6:25).
7.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling is all about easy money, excitement, getting rich, and getting high at the prospect of a big win—all of which ignores the richness of a right relationship with God.
Godly Principle: Don’t Overrate Riches
“A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get
rich will not go unpunished…A stingy man is eager to
get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him”
(P
ROVERBS
28:20,22).
8.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling always involves money and always has more money as its goal, making money the master of all who love it and pursue it.
Godly Principle: Minimize Money
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and
love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and Money…Keep your lives
free from the love of money and be content with what you have”
(M
ATTHEW
6:24; H
EBREWS
13:5).
9.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling violates the work ethic God established with the creation of Adam and Eve. He gave them the responsibility of tending the Garden of Eden and then benefiting from the work of their hands.
Godly Principle: Value Work
“He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who
chases fantasies lacks judgment…Even when we were with
you, we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not
eat.’ We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy;
they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the
Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat’”
(P
ROVERBS
12:11; 2 T
HESSALONIANS
3:10-12).
10.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling robs a person of freedom by taking him captive, stripping him of the power to say
no
, seducing him away from the privilege of walking in the freedom Christ died to procure for us all.
Godly Principle: Respect Freedom
“‘Everything is permissible for me’—but not everything is beneficial
.
‘Everything is permissible for me’
—
but I will not be mastered by
anything…for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him…It
is for freedom that Christ has set us five…Live as free men, but do
not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God”
(1 C
ORINTHIANS
6:12; 2 P
ETER
2:19; G
ALATIANS
5:1; 1 P
ETER
2:16).
11.
Gambling Problem:
Gambling is dependent on the losses of others for its existence and, more often than not, those losses come from the pockets of the poor, who cannot afford to lose.
Godly Principle: Love People
“Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment
of the law…It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do
anything else that will cause your brother to fall…If anyone does
not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family
,
he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever…Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look
not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others”