Gambling with Eternity

By staff - Jul 23, 2009 -

By Dusty McLemore

Someone described gambling as the want for something quick and easy … for nothing. But, gambling is not “getting something” for nothing. Gambling is “giving much” for nothing!

I believe gambling is both a sin and a snare that has destroyed many lives. Gambling glorifies self and leads to greed, covetousness and addiction. On the surface gambling appears to be harmless and controllable, however that’s the danger of this very addictive habit. Before one knows what’s happened, their life is in a tumult of extreme chaos and devastation. Whatever form of gambling Satan uses to deceive us, whether it’s casinos, betting on sports, or even something as subtle as the lottery, in the end everyone eventually loses. Remember, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”

I grew up in a Christian home and was active in our church and our youth group. However at a young age I became intrigued with gambling. It began as something very innocent and seemingly harmless. I can remember being fascinated watching people play “penny-anny” poker. On the surface it appeared to be just an innocent form of recreation between friends, but to a young boy it sure was captivating and thrilling.

During my high school days I was athletic and very involved in sports I didn’t realize it as much then as I would later, but I developed a highly competitive nature. I hated to lose and my competitiveness served as a catalyst fueling my desire to gamble. I soon found the combination of gambling and winning to be the ultimate high. I somehow rationalized my gambling as nothing more than competitive fun and passed it off as just a way to make a few extra bucks for school and dating.

Gambling seemed to come natural to me. It began with the love of winning money, but soon I just simply loved winning. I enjoyed beating my friends and taking their money as we bet on card games, pool, golf, or anything else on which we could make a wager. Winning produced an extreme rush of adrenalin and I loved it.
When I entered college in the fall of 1971, I progressed to another level of gambling when a friend introduced me to betting with professional bookies. The bookies would place odds on all kinds of sporting events such as football, basketball, baseball, boxing, etc.

I’ll never forget the very first bet I made with a bookie. My friend and I picked twelve college football games and bet twenty-five dollars on each. Ten out of the twelve teams we picked won their games and we ended up winning two hundred dollars each! We were both elated! This was too easy! We couldn’t wait to make another wager. As my gambling habit increased, so did my wagers. I was now betting almost on a daily basis. I soon hit a losing streak and had to quit college to find a job to support my habit. A huge loss on the Super Bowl in January of 1973 forced me to ask my sister’s husband to cosign on a loan from the bank to help pay my debt to the bookie.

In July of 1973, sixteen-year old Patsy and I were married. She was aware of my gambling habit, but had no clue how much money I was betting.

By the summer of 1979, my compulsive gambling habit was taking its toll on our marriage. I found myself so addicted that I would gamble on anything. I played pinball machines at clubs, bet on horse racing, boxing, and even placed a bet on our high school football game when pro football went on strike!

I was totally consumed and addicted to gambling, although I would never admit it to anyone. I was even receiving threatening phone calls from my bookies. I kept thinking I could win back the money I owed because I had done it so many times before. I found myself in a desperate situation and l knew I was way out of my league! My life was in a downward spiral and I truly wanted to stop gambling.

Everything came to a head in October of 1979, as our home became a pressure cooker. For the first time in all my gambling days, I was about to panic. I was in debt way over my head. The bookies meant business, and they had informed me that if l didn’t pay them soon they would first proceed to break my arms and then my legs. I was twenty-seven years old and I knew they were serious! I owed them several thousand dollars by this time and they wanted their money.

One morning at 3:00 a.m. I couldn’t deal with the pressure any longer, So, I got out of my bed, walked over to our closet, fell on my knees and began to weep profusely. Crying out in desperation, all I can remember saying was “God save me! God save me!” I repeated it over and over again. I didn’t know how God would do it, but I was certain He could because I had witnessed how he saved my wife. God saved and delivered me from my sins.

Later that morning, I called my mother to tell her that her son had been saved. I knew my mom had been praying for me for a long time. I couldn’t wait to tell her the good news of my salvation, but on the other hand that also meant I had to tell her the news of my gambling as well. My father wasn’t a Christian at the time but when I explained the depth of my problem he helped me financially to secure a loan from thebank. I paid substantial payments on that loan for three and a half years! It was worth every penny because it had resulted in my finding Jesus Christ as my Savior. Later Dad was saved.

In September of 1991 God called me to preach! I immediately enrolled in Bible College. He then called me to a little church across town called Lindsay Lane Baptist. In April of 1992, I became the pastor of that small congregation of thirty-two people. Now, fifteen years later, God continues to bless us at Lindsay Lane Baptist Church. The church now has a membership of over 1,750 and still growing.

(McLemore is pastor of Lindsay Lane Baptist Church, Athens, Alabama)

Reprinted with permission from the Christian Life Report–A Newsletter of the Alabama Baptist Christian Life Commission

Further Learning

Learn more about: Family, Addictions, Gambling