"The Lottery! Why Win?"

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you won the lottery?  Tell the truth!   Well, I have.  That question has been answered by many when I ask them about their purpose- it was my attempt to find out where their heart was and what needs they would meet. Often, most answers sounded much like this….

“If I won the lottery, I wouldn’t tell anyone!  First, I would quit my job,  pay off student loans, bills, buy a house and get a new car.  Then I would set up an account for my kids towards college and beyond, bless my parents and rest of my family, (a onetime donation so they don’t come back)   I would invest and set aside for some charities and pay my tithes.”  

A LOTTO ISSUES!

Many believe that playing the lottery is wrong but play it anyway.  We have heard that it shows a lack of faith in God, and it's a waste of money.   We do have scripture that tell us not to “trust in uncertain riches” we have heard that “the love of money is the root to all evil” scripture tells us to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding”  and finally “God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus”.  All of this is true, but does it really speak against playing the lottery? 

Truth be told, we have more issues when it comes to our finances and playing the lottery is not one of them. We may not play it, but we may still cheat on our taxes, borrow money and don’t pay it back, we are in debt, lack discipline, we may be living month to month and have no savings.  We don’t tithe or give to the work of ministry, and we are not good stewards of the 100% we keep any more than some of us are good stewards of the 90%.  We skip church to get more hours  to “make more money” and often put our personal desires before God’s.  So, let’s be honest… The lottery is not our problem. 

IMAGINE WINNING!

What if you played and won?   What if you took the money you would spend on an unnecessary cup of coffee or donuts and played?  What if you put a plan together just in case you won?  The bible tells us that the “Wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just”.  What if playing and winning allowed you to expand the kingdom of God and do ministry on a grand level?  WOW! Imagine what we could do for the kingdom of God!  The apartment complex you could buy to house homeless instead of just praying they are warm when it is below freezing outside. You could create jobs for some who help run it .  You could offer life skill training, job fairs and help them get on their feet.    Think of the community center you could buy or build for youth.  Offering them tutoring, training and mentoring.  Imagine that.  My thought includes help for foster kids!  

I recently read about a man who took his over 50 million lotto win and brought a black business community back to life.  Another person built homes for homeless people, and another opened schools in a community that was hurting.  I love the thought of what can be done in this world and in our communities- but it takes money.  Money is not the root of all evil, the LOVE of it is.  If you love people more than you love money, imagine what you could do.  Scripture says that "money answers all things"  Money should be used to answer greater needs than just those of the person who has it. 

  

I love what Tyler Perry has done in Georgia, most of us would not have made that kind of money in our lifetime!  I am not trying to get you to play the lottery, but next time you hit an alter believing God for a million dollars, or pray for God to bless you with finances beyond what you ask or think.... understand that God is not wasteful, nor will He bless selfish desires.  God is purposeful and looks at the big picture, which includes drawing people to Him. What better way to draw others than to meet a real need.   If you are a Christian lotto player, or just a Christian, don't think small. Your needs, your family are too small a goal alone for God- there is a world out there that has a need that can be met at the same time yours are.    It pays to have a plan that is bigger than just getting out of debt and living large.  Think about the great opportunity to change something much bigger than YOU!  If you were announced as a mega winner, what need would your newfound money answer?

We should think outside our selves-  when we do that, more than just one person wins!