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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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with Errol Webster
Annual Australian gambling revenue is $A17 billion dollars. Yet it doesn’t produce anything, increase overall wealth or manufacture any goods. It causes hardship for individuals and families. A few win at the expense of many. While wages are earned and people who perform well receive awards, wanting what belongs to someone else is the result of wrong thinking. And wrong thinking is the basis of all sin.
Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbour’s house. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.”
Philippians 4:11 “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
Luke 12:15 “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Greed is covetousness. Psychologist Ross Stagner criticises the “buy now, pay later” mentality: “I-want-it-now is characteristic of our bank robbers, muggers, embezzlers and kidnap-extortionists.
Obey-that-impulse is a feature of rapists and murderers.”
Ephesians 5:5 “No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”
Philippians 2:5-8 “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who . . . made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
Philippians 4:8 “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things.”
James 2:12 “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.”
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Romans 5:8 “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Wages are earned, gifts are free. Have you accepted God’s free gift? That’s right thinking!
Articles of interest:
Extract from Signs of the Times, November 2007.
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