As we continue to watch The Last Dance every week and dive into the details surrounding Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, we realize there was questionable behavior taking place during their run of success.

We’ve known that Michael Jordan likes to gamble and in the documentary he explains, “I never bet on games. I only bet on myself, and that was golf. Do I like playing blackjack? Yeah…the league called me and asked questions about it. And I told them.”

Jordan gave this response when questioned about having a gambling problem: “No, because I could stop gambling. I have a competition problem, a competitive problem.”

That’s one way to look at it, but there are controversial stories about his bets on the golf course and his time in casinos and how much money he’s gambled.

The documentary even showed him gambling while throwing quarters at the wall (to try and get closest) with security guys. It seemed like he was always eager to bet on something.

His “competitive problem” helped him win six championships, but I have to wonder if manifesting into gambling the way it did was a good thing.

Ultimately, he’s responsible for what he does with his money and he has to deal with the consequences and his conscience about the bets he’s made. Now that we’ve become aware of his perspective on gambling, I think it’s worth evaluating how we view our own participation in it.

“I bet you $20 my team beats your team tonight…I take that deal” is a common interaction among sports fans. Or on the golf course, it might be, “I’ll bet you $10 you won’t make that putt.” Plus, more states now have officially legalized gambling, so if gambling is legal where you live, why not join in on the perceived fun?

There’s a temptation to convince ourselves that gambling is harmless and will never be a problem if we just dabble in it. However, it’s not necessarily about the amount of money or the frequency, but deciding why we should bother in the first place.

Is it really worth it?

What is our motivation?

Is this how God wants us to spend the money He provides for us to steward?

When making daily decisions, they can either be viewed through the lens of the Bible…or from the perspective of society. If we do go down a path like gambling, what will we open ourselves up to and how will it glorify God?

When choosing how to make or spend money, we should consider what the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:10 (AMP): “For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.”

Proverbs 13:11 (NLT) gives us this wisdom: “Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time.”

We need to seek the Lord’s guidance on how to respond to the pressure, desires, and opportunities involving gambling and betting on sporting events. This is also true for any other questionable opportunities we have to pursue money.

When surrendering our lives to Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are made free and rest in His grace. We aren’t saved by our works or required to live a perfect life, but if we truly love God, we’ll desire to please Him and obey Him.

Today, let’s ask Him to lead us and show us how to earn, spend, save, and give money so that we glorify Him. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I desire to do Your will and honor You with my life. I pray I’d be a good steward of the money You provide. Please give me guidance on how to spend it, and help me view all decisions through the lens of pleasing You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Discussion Questions for PACKS: