Pastor warns against 'lottery fever'

'The Bible has a lot to say about where to put your treasure.'

The American Powerball jackpot reaches $1.5 billion, one evangelist decided to remind people of what is really important.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Franklin Graham, the son of Reverend Billy Graham, took to Facebook to say, "Many people are suffering from 'lottery fever' - standing in line for hours to buy a Powerball ticket for a chance to win the now $1.3 billion (yes billion!) jackpot.

"To be honest with you, I think everyone has thought about what it would be like to win a large jackpot of money. One person I know said if he won, he would get liposuction; someone else said they would buy a new house.

"But the Bible has lot [sic] to say about where to put your treasure. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount to lay up our treasures in heaven. 'Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal' (Matthew 6:19).

"Is your soul secure? Have you turned to Jesus Christ in repentance and trusted Him as the Savior and Lord of your life? If not, I urge you to do that today - don't wait another minute. He's the only sure thing there is!"

As of Tuesday afternoon, the post has been "liked" over 107 thousand times and shared over 31,500 times. Of the nearly 8,000 comments, one person wrote, "God provides all my needs. I don't need all that money. I like having to look to God to supply my needs."

Graham's call to remember to store up treasures in Heaven mimics Pope Francis' proclamation that greed is "the devil's dung."

On Franklin Graham's website, it specifies Graham "has devoted his life to meeting the needs of people around the world and proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ ... Under his leadership, Samaritan's Purse has met the needs of poor, sick, and suffering people in more than 100 countries. As an evangelist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, he has led crusades around the world."

Graham's Samaritan's Purse foundation is engaged in International Crisis Response, US disaster relief, involved with the World Medical Mission, offers water, sanitation and hygiene, health and medical ministries, women's programs, children's ministries, crisis and disaster response and much more.

The stance of putting God first in everything is mirrored in Graham's Facebook page and Samaritan's Purse foundation website. If you would also like to give, please consider donating to Your Catholic Voice Foundation.

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