I am a businessman, and a client of mine told me about a “business opportunity.” I was carried away by greed, and I accepted the proposition. I was to safeguard the money of some people whose reputation is questionable. In exchange, they would give me some money; but I would have to give them some cash, that is, money of my own in order for them to supposedly give me the money for safekeeping. Now I not only don’t have the money in question, but I have lost my own money also. The powerlessness and rage that I feel make me want to do something that would be wrong.

Dear Friend,

We are very sorry to hear that you were the victim of a fraudulent scheme.

You are angry and feel helpless because you recognize that they took advantage of your weakness (you call it greed) to perpetrate a scam. They are even more greedy than you were. People like that are willing to exploit the elderly, the financially desperate, and normal people like you who are just trying to get ahead.

However, you now recognize that in “just trying to get ahead” you were willing to compromise your morals and values. You evaluated the situation and decided that potential financial gain was more important to you than honesty and integrity. You were willing to sacrifice your good character to get material gain.

In addition to your character, you lost your values and you lost your morals. Those losses should make you angrier than anything else.

Many people believe that the Apostle Paul taught that money is the root of all evil, but that is not what he said. He taught, rather, that the root of all evil is the love of money.(1) In your case, your actions reveal that you have loved money more than you love your own character, your own values, and your own morals.

If the “business opportunity” had turned out well, and if you had gained a lot of money, what more might you have been willing to do for even greater financial gain? What unsavory people might you have gotten mixed up with? What trouble might you have gotten into with the laws of your country? What people might you have lied to or stolen from?

You are not alone; every one of us has the tendency to be tempted by easy money or by doing something that is morally wrong because we want to “get ahead.” But the fact that all of us are tempted does not make it right. It is still sin.

Fortunately, God knew that we would be tempted to sin and that we would give in to that temptation. He knew that we would make these kinds of wrong decisions and do the wrong things.

That is why God sacrificed His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the eternal penalty for our sins. If you pray to God in your own words, asking Him to take away your sins in the name of Christ, He will do it. Then ask Him to be with you and to help you rebuild your character so you will make right decisions in the future.

We wish you the best,

Linda
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1 1Ti 6:10