According to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed., a “gamble” is defined as “an act having an element of risk; something chancy; the playing of a game of chance for stakes,” and “gambling” means, “to play a game for money or property; to bet on an uncertain outcome; to stake something on a contingency.”
Often times the word gambling also known as betting brings a lot of scare to our heart, cause to so many it is a way of putting valuable things to a high risk of losing them. Most people see people that are involved as people who needs help including myself; and so when the man of God was preaching at a Sunday service and posed the question or better still made the statement it did not just leave me there cause I came home with it pondering in my heart why we gamble with something as delicate as eternity. Especially for we Christians cause I do not know the stand of other religion on eternity.
We go to bed everyday knowing that it could be our last breath because we do not have control of what happens and yet when we wake up we do not take account of our past, we rush out to our daily chores perharps if we take sometime to meditate and take account we will know if we are ready for eternity.
We go about our duties committing our little sins knowing fully well that there are no small sins like little lies and the rest because we feel that when we ask for forgiveness we will be granted mercy, have we ever imagined that we might not have time to ask for mercy, God forbid we always say but that is a gamble the bible say in the book of Luke 1:50 (and his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation). Gamblers are not fearful people they are risk takers, so there is no mercy for them who willingly dwell in sin because they do not fear the Lord.
Have we bothered to reason that when we engage in those little sins that we feel that God will understand it means we do not have fear for the Lord and we are compared to those who willingly stake what they have knowing full well they might loose and yet choosing not to fear but accept their fate when the loose. Are we ready to accept our fate if God calls us home today God have mercy we will say. Can God have mercy on someone who has breath his last ponder on this
We have capitalized on grace and become gamblers with eternity the bible says in Romans 6:1b “shall we remain in sin that grace may abound; Certainly not” thank God for the beautiful gift of grace but it can only work for us when it is not abused.
Let us look at the bible we might also find those who gambled with eternity.
- The Thieves that was crucified with Jesus.
Back at the scene of the cruxification the gambling soldiers, had a pretty intense conversation going on. In addition to Jesus, two other men were being crucified on either side of Jesus. Both were criminals (this was capital punishment). One of them couldn’t care less about what would happen after he died. He insulted and baited Jesus, along with the rest of the crowd as most of us do today. But the other criminal was silent, lost in serious thought. It became obvious to him that Jesus was anything but a criminal. He may have thought about all that he heard about Jesus…. how he befriended the outsider, the prostitutes, the thieves. And how Jesus offered even them forgiveness and eternal life. It was a risk finding out if Jesus might accept him also. Yet his destiny was worth the gamble. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom,” he says to Jesus. And Jesus replied, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Compared him with the other thief he is just like many who do not bother towards eternity because they believe that eternity does not exist.I love the straightforwardness about Jesus. He tells us we don’t have to gamble with our eternal home. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”1 He invites us to know him, so that we can know for 100% sure that the moment we die, we are going to heaven. It’s like sitting at the card table, but being able to see everyone else’s cards. There’s no gamble, because he tells you, if you have me, you have eternal life
- Judas Iscariot
Who betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver like so many betray him today. When we take bribes to betray others or sit on the truth we have betrayed our faith. We have pastors who say what the Lord has not commanded them just because that member is rich and they are sure they will be blessed after that fake prophesy. He or she has indirectly bribed you with his money and you made sin look like righteousness and he dwells in it with pride both of you are gambling with eternity. Tell it as it is because eternity is real.
- Lots Wife
Just for the material things of this world he gambled with eternity. There are still a lot of Lots wife in our midst today, we find them in all shades both male and female, those who keep backsliding because of that contract, that car, that job, wears, marriage, sex, children, money, wealth, women, men etc. Ask yourself what concerns you with these the moment you breathe your last, the answer its nothing so why gamble with eternity for all these. - Saul who was later called Paul
He dedicated himself to the persecution of Christians like so many sets are doing today. What a gamble! He held the tradition of men above the commandments of God But thank God he was among the few that grace found. Those times you maltreat widows and take all that their husband left for them, that moment you throw libations and make little fetish sacrifices and you term it the tradition of your fathers, those pedophiles who defile children in the name of marriage and claim it is the tradition of their fathers, God is watching you, you are gambling with eternity, When you continually use you time and data to only criticize the work of God and the vessels of God you are playing with fire.
Eternity is real, it is not a gamble not a joke ponder on this.
