Make Your Life the Best Ever!

“Best Night Ever!” In the midst of slow-motion scenes of silent jumping, laughing, and smiling in the TV commercial with lively music in the background, these three words flashed across the screen to capture our attention as viewers and lure us to gamble at their casino! Who wouldn’t want the best night ever? Who wouldn’t want to be a winner? Couldn’t it happen to us?
However, should we Christians go? Is winning at a casino really the best for us? Is there more to winning than just easy money? What might happen to us if we win a lot of money? And couldn’t we just as easily lose it all?
As a retired Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) pastor of 40 years and a compulsive gambling counselor at a large hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, for over a decade, I have some insights that a lot of people don’t know concerning what is called “the hidden addiction.”
The apostle Paul left us a thought that we can readily apply to gambling: And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).
Is repeated gambling at a casino, or horse track, or poker table, or pull tabs at a bar (where we may be drinking alcohol and picking up another addiction), or gambling online really being done to the glory of God? Or is it done more so for our own glory and for our own pleasure and benefit? Couldn’t we better spend our time with our families, or at our jobs, or engaging in healthier activities? Are there better ways to make use of our money, such as paying the mortgage, rent, bills, and automobile expenses, buying food and clothing, giving to the Lord, etc.?
I have counseled a lot of people who had the worst night at a casino. They have spent 5, 10, 15, 20, or more years ever chasing false hopes, buying the lie, losing their value of money and their good decision making! Some people gamble to escape life or relieve boredom. They do not realize how self-destructive gambling can be to one’s relationships, job, character, ethics, faith, financial stability, purpose of life, self-esteem, and will to live! Why would someone choose a behavior that, in order to sustain it, they have to become compulsive liars and lose the trust of everyone?
Might we step back even before all the problem gambling and its dire consequences get rolling and apply further words of the apostle Paul to our lives? Everything is permissible for me—but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me—but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12).
Since a random big win on our part does not indicate our skill or good luck (there isn’t such a thing), and since denial and naiveté are so intertwined, are we perhaps putting ourselves in harm’s way? A big win or a “best night ever” can tempt us so much that we don’t use good judgment and may not see the train of addiction barreling down the tracks to run us over! Because pathological gambling can develop in anyone, we may be better off not taking the risk and using our time, talents, and financial resources in ways that clearly thank and honor the name of Jesus!
Words from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are worth considering: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day will have enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33–34).
Jesus tells us that when we have Him and the salvation He earned for us on the cross as our first priority, He will give us what we really need in our lives, such as peace with God, our daily necessities, and security. Making use regularly of the Gospel in the Word and Sacraments and serving Him in our lives, churches, and communities will make us available for Him, rather than gambling, to bless and keep us! If we should find ourselves or our loved ones slipping into trouble with gambling, there is help available through professionally trained gambling counselors (1-800-333-HOPE) and the support group Gamblers Anonymous (GA). Make your life the best ever—in Jesus!
David E. Koeplin is a WELS pastor emeritus and is the program manager and main counselor at the intensive evening outpatient Gambling Treatment Program at a large university hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is a member of Heritage Lutheran Church (ELS), Apple Valley, Minnesota.