Fourth, all recreation must involve skill. It must not involve games of chance. We may say that the only kind of recreation that is proper is that which involves pure skill and nothing of chance. Any recreation that involves both skill and chance is a kind of gambling, not recreation. If an activity involves only chance and has nothing to do with skill, it is gambling, and Christians should turn away from it. Anything that involves chance is a kind of gambling. Christian recreation should involve only skill; it should not have any element of chance. A game of dice is altogether a matter of chance; a Christian should never engage in this. It is altogether gambling. Young people can play chess, because chess is a matter of skill, not a game of chance.
There are two kinds of recreation: One involves skill, and the other involves chance. A game of dice involves one’s luck. Therefore, it is a game of chance. A Christian must not engage in any kind of gambling. Some love to play mahjong before they are saved. That is gambling. It involves a little skill plus a good element of chance. A Christian can play only with skill, not with anything that involves chance. He cannot even have games that depend partly on skill and partly on chance.
Mahjong is a game of chance, even when it does not involve any money. It gives the player a kind of hope, a kind of prayer. He hopes that chance will be on his side. This kind of hope is wrong. Mahjong is wrong even when no betting is involved.
Billiards involve skill. Even though there are wins and losses, there is nothing wrong with the game itself. However, when money is involved, it is wrong; it becomes a kind of gambling.
We can say that some games are a kind of gambling in themselves, while others are not. However, one can take a game that does not involve gambling and turn it into a kind of gambling. This is another matter altogether. Even something as harmless as a meal can become a kind of gambling. Throwing dice is a gambling game in itself, even though money is not involved. A Christian should not engage in this kind of game. As Christians, we have principles that govern our judgment. When we say that we can do something or we cannot do certain things, we are guided by principles. It is right to play a game that involves skill, and it is wrong to play something that involves chance. Any kind of game that involves skill is permissible. But any game that depends on chance is not permissible; it is a kind of gambling.
Moreover, we should not touch anything that the world would consider a kind of gambling. We must have our principles. We must find out what gambling is and what games of chance are. Anything that involves chance is gambling.
Some brothers ask whether hunting, fishing, and keeping birds is permissible. In the Bible, hunting began from Nimrod (Gen. 10:8-9), and the Lord did not seem to like it. Fishing is permissible. Once you are clear about the principle, you will know what to do with many other things. In conclusion, it is right if it involves skill only, and it is wrong if chance is involved. Gambling is completely out of the question. One would have to be very fallen to ask whether it is permissible for a Christian to gamble.
Some birds can be kept because they have been domesticated for years and are like house pets; they would not live if they were freed. But we must free those that can survive by themselves. There are domestic pigeons as well as wild pigeons. We can apply the same principles to these matters.
Fifth, our recreation must meet our need. We have a certain recreation because we have a certain need. We should not have any recreation without having the need for it. Many brothers are so busy that they think they have no need for recreation. Other brothers have nothing to do all day long, and they think about recreation all the time. Those who have a genuine need for diversion do not feel the need for it, while those who do not need diversion think that they have a need for it. We do not need to tell everyone about the need for diversion. We do not like to grant license to God’s children. We do not want to give a blanket endorsement for any kind of recreation. What we want to tell God’s children is to judge for themselves whether they have such a need. The principle is always to live for the Lord and to recognize that all our time is His.
Life is measured by time. Life is not time itself, but it is measured by time. A man cannot waste his time on everything and then find that he has no more time for God. To waste an hour of time is to waste an hour of one’s life. To waste two hours of time is to waste two hours of one’s life. If you take an hour for recreation, that hour must eventually be of benefit to you in your work. If there is not the need for this hour, the recreation is a waste of your time. To waste your time is to waste your life. If we can spend an hour more for the Lord, we can reap one more hour of results. If we spend an hour on recreation, and this recreation can enhance our work, it is an investment, not a waste.
Hence, diversion is based on need. It can also be based on the advice of elderly brothers or the instruction of doctors. Sometimes an elderly brother may advise you to take some diversion because he can sense a buildup of tension within you. At other times a doctor may advise you against certain activities and warn you of dire consequences. Recreation is to take care of need, not for the sake of play. I have my own kinds of recreation. I participate in recreation not for the sake of recreation, but for the sake of enhancing my work. A busy person may need recreation, or he may not need it. The general rule is that recreation is for those who have the need for it. Those who do not need it are not obligated to have it.
We realize that young people need recreation. We can see the need for our teen-agers to have recreation. Some parents do not have such a need, so they think that their children have no such need. However, depriving children of recreational activity will drive them down the road to evil. We have to recognize their need even though we may not be altogether certain of our own need. The principle is that recreation is for those who need it; those who do not need it can live without it.