Jeffery spent days quietly contemplating, trying to figure out his dilemma about Lousia.  Jeffery knew that he couldn’t live with his grandparents forever and if he wanted to marry Lousia he needed to come up with a way to make money so that he could move out on his own.  His best conclusion was that you needed to have money to invest in order to make money.  Since Jeffery was a young boy he had been collecting money in a savings account; birthdays, holidays, graduation, odd jobs over the years added up and he had a tiny little nest egg of $2300.  What Jeffery really wanted to do was start his own business.  But $2300 was not nearly enough to do that, he would need ten times that amount to start any reasonable business venture.  Jeffery was so desperate about it that he began to pray.  “God help me come up with more money.” he would ask. 

              Finally, one evening Jeffery had a brilliant idea.  If he had enough faith he could go to the Indian Casino in Foster County and let God multiply his savings for him.  Suddenly, he was not content with any other options.  This had to be Gods plan.  Jeffery spent a week on his knees praying that God would make him rich at the casino.  But Jeffery in his inexperience with prayer was telling God, no, demanding from God what he wanted.  He did not ask God’s advice. 

              Withdrawing his money from the bank, Jeffery decided to put God to the test “this is how you can prove to me that you are real, make ma a big winner today.  He convinced his buddy, Ron, to take him to the casino and with his new found get-rich-quick faith he set off right away toward making his fortune.  Jeffery figured he would give God an easy way to answer his prayers first with just one coin on the slot machine.  However, one coin turned into more coins till to his surprised how quickly the first $200 disappeared.  Yet, Jeffery was not discouraged.  He still had over $2000 left.

              Jeffery had been practicing Blackjack and Poker on the computer in the library and actually won a time or two but in the library he was not playing for real money and the computer was not nearly as intimidating as the tables in the casino.  He watched for a few hands and decided that those players were way out of his league.  He checked out the dice game, this was more his style.  Picking up the dice he said a little prayer and with each throw he imagined his ship coming in.  At first he was lucky and did well, this encouraged him to go on.  But too soon his luck ran out, and within a short time so did all his money.  At first it didn’t seem possible, he must have imagined it, it couldn’t be real.  He couldn’t have lost his entire life savings in one day, in a few short hours, it couldn’t have happened. 

              Standing there dazed and dumfounded Ron eventually to came to his rescue and found out what had happened.  Trying to snap him out of his depression, Ron led him out of the building.  Jeffery began to feel like his life was over.  He was sweaty and clammy, his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.  Ron was nervous that he might have low blood sugar or something so he got him something to eat.  But Jeffery couldn’t eat. 

              When he got home he spent the next two days in bed and would not see anyone, he was inconsolable.  Finally on the third day Lousia pleaded with him long enough till he let her in his room.  She told him, “I made Ron tell me what happened.”  They were quiet for a long time.  Then Lousia spoke up again saying, “Loosing your lifesavings is not the end of the world.”  She paused again for a while, “I wish you would have told me what you were going to do because I wouldn’t have let you do it.”  She added, “I don’t believe in gambling, I think it’s Satan’s counterfeit for a real miracle from God.” All this time Jeffery was angry at God for disappointing him, so he was curious at Lousia comment about God and miracles.  So he asked, “Don’t you think God is powerful enough to work a miracle through gambling?”  Lousia shook her head, “It isn’t that he’s not powerful enough, He just doesn’t work that way.  God wouldn’t bless you with a miracle at the expense of other people.  For you to win that means someone else would have to loose.  God works miracles at his expense.  God’s not into money anyway, He is into a completely different kind of wealth.” 

              Jeffery asked Lousia to go home, but he promised her he would see her tomorrow, he said that he had a lot to think about and just wanted to be alone for a little while longer.  So Lousia went home on condition that Jeffery would get out of bed and come see her in the morning.  After she left, Jeffery prayed again, “God do you still have a miracle for me?  I need one now more than before.”

Discussion Questions:

1.  Is God powerful enough to work a miracle through gambling? 

2.  What did Lousia mean when she said that God works miracles at His expense but not at another’s expense?

3.  Gambling affected Jeffery’s walk with God in a negative way after he lost, but does gambling affect your walk with Christ in a negative way if you win?

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