...specifically PowerBall. Every once in a while the national lottery gets over $100 million and people get excited and buy more tickets and the pot grows and grows. This last winner won more than $700 million and everyone in the media predicts that her life is now ruined. People say that winning millions of dollars will ruin a persons life because it usually does. There was even a TV show called “The Lottery Ruined my Life”. Why is that?
Mostly is is because everyone who knows the winner, everyone who thinks they know the winner, and everyone who wants to know the winner will harass them for money. The world will consider the latest winner undeserving of the millions and because people think that they deserve it more, they will come to the winner with every need and want and desire. The more the winner helps people, the more people come out of the woodwork. Eventually the winner is out of money, losing everything because the greed and demands of other people. Passed lottery winners have been sued by family members for half or more of the money. Others camp out on their porch. Fantasia who won the first American Idol, won $1 million dollars. It took about 2 months for her family to bleed her dry, take her house and her car and everything else she owns. The first American idol was broke and homeless within six months of winning.
I heard one story of a couple in their fifties. They won $130 million in some state lottery. They immediately moved. They eventually bought a lake and a huge cabin on one side of the lake. They invested the rest of the money and now live off the interest. They do not have a phone. They only watch broadcast TV, have mail delivered to a PO Box, drive 25 miles to town to buy groceries and provisions once a month and they love their life. The lottery did not ruin their life because they changed their life. They left their old life to start a new one, managing the winning.
Some Christians leaders condemn to lottery as ill-gotten gain. Albert Mohler says that Christians need to get money through labor and investing. I think the lottery is a fun, common cultural experience. If Christians only play with disposable income, I see no harm in it. Many years ago, when California had it own lottery, a couple in Santa Cruz, California bought 20,000 tickets (they were $1 each back then). They did not win anything.
If I remember to buy a ticket, I will play when the jackpot is over $300 million. This last time, I bought a ticket and I won. I matched the Powerball number so I won $4. It has not ruined my life yet, and I probably will spend it all in one place.
People who believe that all their problems will be solved with money will never have their problems solved. People whose only retirement plan is to win the lottery will end up poor in their senior years. The lottery is just something to do and if I ever win big, I will tithe it to multiple ministries, invest it so that I cannot get at it and live off the interest. I will continue to preach Christ crucified until I retired, even with $300 million in the bank.
Mostly is is because everyone who knows the winner, everyone who thinks they know the winner, and everyone who wants to know the winner will harass them for money. The world will consider the latest winner undeserving of the millions and because people think that they deserve it more, they will come to the winner with every need and want and desire. The more the winner helps people, the more people come out of the woodwork. Eventually the winner is out of money, losing everything because the greed and demands of other people. Passed lottery winners have been sued by family members for half or more of the money. Others camp out on their porch. Fantasia who won the first American Idol, won $1 million dollars. It took about 2 months for her family to bleed her dry, take her house and her car and everything else she owns. The first American idol was broke and homeless within six months of winning.
I heard one story of a couple in their fifties. They won $130 million in some state lottery. They immediately moved. They eventually bought a lake and a huge cabin on one side of the lake. They invested the rest of the money and now live off the interest. They do not have a phone. They only watch broadcast TV, have mail delivered to a PO Box, drive 25 miles to town to buy groceries and provisions once a month and they love their life. The lottery did not ruin their life because they changed their life. They left their old life to start a new one, managing the winning.
Some Christians leaders condemn to lottery as ill-gotten gain. Albert Mohler says that Christians need to get money through labor and investing. I think the lottery is a fun, common cultural experience. If Christians only play with disposable income, I see no harm in it. Many years ago, when California had it own lottery, a couple in Santa Cruz, California bought 20,000 tickets (they were $1 each back then). They did not win anything.
If I remember to buy a ticket, I will play when the jackpot is over $300 million. This last time, I bought a ticket and I won. I matched the Powerball number so I won $4. It has not ruined my life yet, and I probably will spend it all in one place.
People who believe that all their problems will be solved with money will never have their problems solved. People whose only retirement plan is to win the lottery will end up poor in their senior years. The lottery is just something to do and if I ever win big, I will tithe it to multiple ministries, invest it so that I cannot get at it and live off the interest. I will continue to preach Christ crucified until I retired, even with $300 million in the bank.
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