How Do We Make Decisions?

As I was returning from lunch this afternoon, I was listening to the Dave Ramsey Show.  A gentleman called in with his dilemma.  He basically admitted that he had lived in the casinos for a number of years, but that he left that scene about 2 years ago.  While he said he had made a substantial amount of money gambling in the casinos, he basically implied that his lifestyle was turning into an addiction.  Clearly, I commend the man for being willing to leave the casinos, even when he was making quite a profit off of them.

But the man's story was not finished there.  He explained that he has learned many of this gambling ways from his father.  Apparently, his father had not fared so well at the gambling tables.  He explained that his dad had a $225,000 mortgage, but that because he was so far in gambling debt that he would not be able to make good on the repayment of the loan.  So, the father set a proposal before his son.  He said he would give his son what little bit of money he had left if his son would go and turn it into a profit at the casinos.  The bottom line is that the son was calling Dave Ramsey because he had mixed emotions about returning to the casinos, but he didn't want to see his father lose his home either.

What kind of advice would you give to the young man if you were in Dave Ramsey's shoes?  I can tell you what Mr. Ramsey said.  He told the young man to tell his father:  "I'm sorry Dad.  I can't go back to the casinos to help you.  I'm not going to give an alcohol his next drink."  That's pretty good advice, and I suspect Mr. Ramsey's opinion has something to do with the fact that he professes to be a born-again Christian.

But still I'd like to know, what would you have counseled the young man to do?  We can understand why the son might have mixed emotions about going back to the casinos, but would it really be all that wrong for the young man to go back so he can help his struggling father?  Some would argue that returning to the casinos would really be the best thing for the young man to do if he really loves his dad.

Every day decisions like this have to be made.  When the moment of decision comes, I wonder how you and I make decisions.  Or how do we decide what kind of counsel to give when others have decisions like this that must be made.  I sincerely hope that we are turning to the Word of God when these issues of life need to be determined. 

If I were counseling this young man, I would have to tell him that returning to the casinos (or to any form of gambling) is not the answer.  Why?  Because God's Word condemns gambling.  Not only did he rebuke Israel for sitting at the "tables of chance" (Isa. 65:11), but gambling flies in the face of everything God has said about the making and mastering of money.  To gamble is to sin, and clearly we would not want to counsel anyone to walk in the paths of sin - no matter how well-intentioned they might be.

So what of the father who stands to lose his home?  I would encourage the son to talk to his dad to see if he has any assets that can be sold to help meet the debts.  If not, I would encourage the son to help his father secure an honest job that would help him in paying his debts.  If the father were not capable of working due to handicap or disability, I would encourage the son to do all he can to help provide for some of his father's bills.  But under no circumstances would I counsel the son (or the father) to go back to gambling.

But you say, "The father could lose his home."  That's true, but such are the consequences of a life of sin sometimes.  We can't just expect to live in a way that is contradictory to God and then not have to suffer the consequences along the way.  And remember, the Bible says "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble" (Prov. 15:16).  And again, "Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich" (Prov. 28:6).

So I hope you and I will consider how we make our decisions.  As Christians, I'm convinced that biblical ignorance is not always our problem.  Many times we know what God's Word says - we just don't always want to do it. When the decisions of life must be made in our own life and in the lives of others, I hope we'll be found turning to God's Word.  God's path is not always the easiest one, but it is always best!