“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.” – James 5:1
James Hayes was working as an overnight security guard in 1998 when he won $19 million playing California's SuperLotto game. The then 35-year-old had become the second-largest lottery winner in Ventura County. With guaranteed annual payments of $684,000 after taxes for the next two decades, the future looked bright for the young Hayes.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Hayes shared his plans to buy a new car and move into a luxury house in the posh Spanish Hills development in Camarillo, California. He had already sent his two weeks’ notice to his employers, too. “I’m not going to blow the money,” Hayes had promised, looking forward to a better life.
But then his world came crashing down. He quickly went from winner to loser: His ex-wife reportedly took half the jackpot money, and Hayes developed a heroin habit costing him $1,000 a week. Authorities say he resorted to robbing banks to keep up his lifestyle. The FBI nicknamed him the "PT Cruiser Bandit" and the "Seasoned Bandit," because of his car and gray hair. In 2018, Hayes pleaded guilty to bank robbery and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
Only the Lord can satisfy our deepest needs. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for any possessions that you have and seek to use them to His glory.
“To be clever enough to get a great deal of money, one must be stupid enough to want it.” – G.K. Chesterton
God’s Word: “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” – 1 Timothy 6:9-10
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