Mr. Lucky? - 40 pack

Mr. Lucky? 
 
I was a complete fool playing in a game of chance.
 
I started my gambling by tossing pennies against a wall then flipping coins.  “Heads or tails?” I would call out.
 
When at home, I watched my father study the race forms like one would study the stock market.  My father was a winner as far as I could tell.  The only time he ever lost was when he gave me $20 to place a bet for him to play the “trifecta.”  I recall playing something, but my father ended up a loser that day.  I never forgot it!
 
“Trifecta” is a betting term, where someone correctly selects the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in a race, usually a horse race.  The Pay Out can be huge, and it takes a lot of skill (and luck) on the bettor's behalf.
Whenever playing poker or billiards, I always had it in my mind that I was a winner, that I was “grandfathered in” because my dad was a winner and that some of his luck would surely be some of mine.  It never was!  
 
It’s been said that drinking and drugs don't mix.  My gambling was like a drug I could not shake!
 
In my early twenties, I found myself rolling dice in an all-night gambling house where they offered anything and everything you can imagine.  I was there to gamble!  I worked for General Motors, and I worked hard for my money!  I remember one night, with the roll of the dice, I lost a week’s pay.  I was sure that it was my turn to win!
 
I spent many nights at the poker tables feeling like a winner, only to come to the realization that my family was the real loser.  I was a slave to my gambling.  It took me to places where I didn’t want to go and made me do things I didn’t want to do!  
 
I continued gambling, winning and losing, and playing “catch-up,” but it was a losing battle!  
 
Many a night I felt shame, guilt, and embarrassment.  I had lost my income to pay the rent, to pay the bills, and to feed my children.  “My God,” I said to myself, “how could I be so unlucky?”  How could I be so selfish?  The burden was too heavy, the sin against my family too great.
 
I cried out to Jesus.  He heard my cry and took my burden from me and saved my soul from total ruin (unrepairable loss).
Jesus gives us a wonderful promise in Matthew 11:28 where He says, “Come to Me, all you who labor (are troubled) and are heavy laden (weighted down with worry), and I will give you rest.”
 
And, in Jeremiah 29:11, God reveals His plans for our lives, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
 
~  B.V.M.
 
YOU CAN HAVE A NEW LIFE IN CHRIST
ADMIT that you are a sinner.
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short (missed the mark) of the glory of God.”
REALIZE the penalty of your sin.
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died to pay the price for your sins and rose from the dead.   
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
TRUST and RECEIVE Christ alone as your Savior. 
Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
 
WHAT’S NEXT?
Just as a newborn baby grows physically, in a similar way you can grow spiritually, by taking the following steps:
  READ THE BIBLE – starting with the Gospel of John, read a chapter each day.
  PRAYER – Spend time each day talking with God.
  WORSHIP – Regularly attend a church that honors Jesus Christ and teaches you the Bible.
  FELLOWSHIP – with Christians who will help you grow in faith.
  WITNESS – Tell others what Jesus Christ means to you!