Maybe I think too much. Maybe I over-analyze. I can’t help it. My observational and situational awareness skills don’t seem to have an “off” switch. So, when I see things that don’t seem to align with common sense, I start thinking and analyzing. It’s a blessing, but sometimes it seems like a curse.
The other day, I was standing in line at a convenience store, and the people ahead of me at the counter were taking a lot longer to complete their transaction than seemed necessary. Of course, I was in a hurry, as I usually am, with a lot of things to do, but this delay caused my analytical brain to kick in.
They were buying candy bars, soda pop, a case of beer, two cartons of cigarettes and multiple kinds of lottery tickets. All non-essential items, but who am I to judge? Still, some of their purchases caught my attention, and since they were taking so long to check out, I had plenty of time to think.
I’ll just comment on two of their purchases: two cartons of cigarettes and a bunch of different lottery tickets. I did some checking and was astounded to find that the average price of one carton of cigarettes in Wisconsin is around $100. So, they spent $200 on those.
I also looked up the prices of the lottery tickets. “Powerball” tickets are $2 – $3. “Mega Millions” tickets are $5. Scratch tickets go for between $1 and $50 each, depending on the game.
Now, here’s the thing: the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million. The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 302 million. The odds of winning any prize at all are about 1 in 25 overall, but most winning tickets are small prizes that are less than — or only slightly above — the ticket cost.
Now, let’s talk about the cigarettes. As I said, the average cost of a carton is $100; these folks bought two cartons…so, $200.
Now, let’s compare the risk versus reward on these items. People who smoke have a 1 in 2 chance of serious health problems — not just lung cancer, but also heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, emphysema, gum disease, tooth loss, and COPD. But what do smokers tell themselves? “It won’t happen to me.” Think about that. There’s a 1 in 2 chance that their quality of life — or their life itself — will be cut short, and they know this. It’s right there in bold print on every pack of smokes they buy. But instead of heeding the warnings and stopping that habitual behavior, they tell themselves, “It won’t be me.”
Meanwhile, they’re playing the lottery, and many people do this every week. With a 1 in 302 million chance of winning, they tell themselves, “Somebody’s got to win. It could be me!” The chance of being struck by lightning is 1 in a million. The chance of winning the lottery is 1 in 302 million. Still, they think, “It could be me!”
In Proverbs 28, we read, “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.” Friends, in case you haven’t figured it out, lottery tickets are simply a tax on those who are bad at math. So many today embrace vain pursuits. 1 John 2: 16 & 17, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
There are many temptations in this world that Satan lures us with, and all lead to death and destruction. We may think of playing the lottery as simple, harmless “entertainment.” Regarding our addictions, we may think, “It’s the only thing I do for myself that I enjoy.” This is the devil speaking to your mind. There are no smokers who enjoy smoking. All smokers would quit today if they believed it was possible and it could be painless. They know it’s killing them, and yet they continue to do it because they feel they’re helplessly trapped and can’t escape it. Nothing could be further from the truth. They’ve just fallen prey to another deception of the enemy. With God, all things are possible, but once we’ve fallen into some besetting sin, it takes a little work on our part to be free of it. Most prefer comfort and ease to even a little discomfort, work or inconvenience. We must decide what we want now and what we really want most.
1 Corinthians 10, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.”
There really are no shortcuts to accomplishing things of significance and value. But I guess it’s human nature to want to skip the journey from the initial vision to the fruition of our hopes and dreams. Some of this stems from idolatry, covetousness and envy. We see others who are financially well off and envy them for their wealthy lifestyles. We want what they have, without putting in the work to accomplish what they have. And all of us know someone who, at one time, was addicted to tobacco, alcohol or other drugs, but they escaped the bondage of those vices. Because they took the time to do the work of getting free.
The love of money is the root of all evil. There are many charlatans ready to exploit your love of money and they do that by taking what little you have. They have slick presentations meticulously designed to lure in the unsuspecting victim. With the advent of the internet, “get rich quick” schemes have exploded — and stolen the life savings, or at least, substantial amounts of money, from those who have chosen to believe lies, because the lies are so enticing.
I’ve met more than my share of people who are involved in Multi-Level Marketing programs, also known as “Pyramid Schemes.” These organizations prey on people by telling them they can build “passive” income — and own their own business — by doing little to no work. They’re often told that once they “buy into” the program, they can then have the opportunity to be an official “distributor” of a particular product. As a “distributor,” they can then sign other people up to be distributors, and earn “commission” from their sales.
Some plans tell you that all you need to do is sign up five other people — selling each of those five a “license” to be in the program — then just sit back and watch the profits roll in. They can also get discounts on the products themselves — after they pay a substantial amount of money for their “start-up kit.”
I’ve had many people approach me wanting to advertise these so-called “businesses” in our newspaper, Wisconsin Christian News. When I meet with them, they give me their sales pitch… how people can earn massive amounts of money selling “memberships” and “licenses” and signing up other people into the program, which sells tremendously useful products that are in high demand. Then, I tell them what it costs to advertise with us — (which honestly, isn’t very much) — and they say, “Well, I’m just getting started so I haven’t made any money with this yet, but once things get rolling, I’ll never have to work again.”
The trouble is, all — or most — of the income in these schemes is concentrated at the top. The vast majority of participants earn very little — or lose money in these ventures — and then give up once they realize they’ve been scammed.
Still others are lured into buying so-called “miracle” products like supplements, detoxes or other programs that promise incredible health improvements with little to no effort. You may have seen some of these advertised on social media. Diet pills that are sold with “before” and “after” pictures that are completely fake. Years ago, I had someone approach me in person, trying to sell “guaranteed” weight loss pills that worked wonders. You didn’t need to change your diet, strengthen your body through exercise, or change your lifestyle in any way, and the weight would just magically fall off in just a few weeks. I found it strange that the person pushing this “revolutionary” product was, herself, morbidly obese, despite having taken the pills for some time. I didn’t have the heart to ask why they, themselves, were not slim and trim — if the product really worked.
Today, surveys done in public high schools show that the most popular occupation the majority plan to pursue as a career is that of “Social Media Influencer.” While it’s true that there are a lot of people making a lot of money by posting pointless and absurd video content on places like TikTok and YouTube, only a tiny fraction ever receives an income from this. But it’s enticing. It looks like fun. It promises big financial rewards, but it’s completely fruitless — in more ways than one.
Others attend college to major in subjects that have little to no hope for employment after graduation. I had a friend who has since passed away, and his son went to college to become a video game creator. After incurring a ton of student loan debt, the young man came to the conclusion that this was not going to be an occupation he’d ever be able to compete in. He dropped out of school, and the last I heard, he was working for minimum wage at Walmart.
I should also mention the socialist utopia idea of increasing the minimum wage for entry-level jobs to that of a skilled adult “living wage.” During the years of the COVID planned-demic, many refused to work because they were receiving more in “free” government funds than they would if they were working. Some states increased the mandatory minimum wage to $15 or more per hour. How’d that work out?
Well, at a popular fast-food chain, where once there was always instant service, and often times, seven or eight young people on duty, standing around, waiting for something to do, while others were also working, now that same restaurant has two employees on duty at any given time. Some fast-food places now use kiosks for people to place their orders. And some of those who demanded that $20 an hour (along with a substantial signing bonus) to work in a burger joint are working those jobs, but they’re not at all happy, because now, instead of eight employees, there are only one or two and they’re working harder than anyone should have to; service is understandably poor, and customers are impatient and angry because of it.
Friends, nothing worthwhile is ever easy. There are no “magic pills” or quick fixes. I can guarantee you’re not going to win the lottery, and if you abuse your body, you will face the consequences. I miss the old days in our country, when people had strong work ethics, worked hard to better themselves, improve their skills and do more than their job description required in order to become a more valuable employee. And I miss the America where we had a chance at the American Dream because our people had a natural, innate need to be productive, innovative, and build businesses making things or providing services that had genuine value. Things have changed, and not for the better. We used to make cars here in America. Now we make chicken wings. Dinner out at a restaurant used to be a luxury. Now, we sit on the couch with our phones and order “Door Dash,” then complain about the service.
Proverbs 14, “In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty.” Colossians 3, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord and not to men…”
