Crown Says Avoid Lottery; More Likely to Get Hit By the Falling Star You're Wishing on than Picking the Powerball

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When asked, "What's the big deal if I skip a cup of coffee and get a few lottery tickets?" in his weekly advice column out today, Crown Financial Ministries CEO Chuck Bentley observed, "The fact is that when you buy a cup of coffee, you get something for your money … To be perfectly honest, you're more likely to be wishing on a falling star that hits you than you are to win the lottery. The odds of being killed by a meteorite (a falling star) are roughly 1 in 250,000, while your odds of winning the Powerball is 1 in 292.2 MILLION.  The big jackpot tends to cause people to forget to do the math."

But it's not just about the money, said Bentley, whose column Ask Chuck, features Biblically based answers to financial questions.

Bentley noted: "The Bible in fact is direct in arguing against a huge sum of money, instantly attained. 'Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow,' notes Proverbs 13:11 and later in chapter 21 verse 21 we read, 'An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed at the end.' This likely explains why so many lottery winners file bankruptcy after receiving their windfall.

"Hard work, daily work, builds not only character but also reliable wealth, earned in a way that brings glory to God. I don't believe in luck – good or bad. And I certainly don't want to put my faith in a process based on it.

"Proverbs 24:3-4 says, 'By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.' I've written before that when you buy a lottery ticket to try and win some money, you are saying by your actions: 'By the lottery my house will be built and through great luck it will surely be established. Through random picking of numbers its rooms will be filled with rare and beautiful treasures.'

"That's why I don't wish people 'Good Luck' or take a chance on a lottery ticket. I want the fruit of my labors, blessed by God, to grow little by little as He has instructed. And I don't want to be tempted to fix my heart on the money alone. Perhaps one of the reasons that God encourages us to build wealth slowly is because He knows that it keeps us focused on our need for Him and the value of hard work.

"Being in a hurry for quick riches gets you nowhere fast. Or as Proverbs 21:5 notes, 'The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.'"

To learn more about strategies for debt-free living, click here:  To #Ask Chuck @AskCrown your own question, click here:

Chuck Bentley is the CEO of Crown, the largest Christian financial ministry in the world, founded by the late, Larry Burkett. He is an author, host of My MoneyLife, a daily radio feature, and a columnist for the Christian Post and a frequent speaker. Follow him on Twitter @chuckbentley For interviews or speaking requests contact [email protected]

SOURCE Crown