Proverbs 16:8 *"Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice*".
I journeyed from Ibadan to Lagos on a certain day using public transport. While in the bus, a conversation about education began among passengers. A woman said "Education is a scam". She cited cases of celebrities and 'yahoo' boys who are rich and wealthy. She went further to denigrate education because of the way Internet fraudsters are making money and flaunting wealth.
At the onset of that conversation, I was involved trying to help them see why education is not a scam but I kept mute because I discovered the loudest voices in that bus have values that doesn't align with mine and a few of us trying to dissuade them from that mindset were rebuffed. I kept mute.
Most of them supported Internet fraud citing the economy as excuse to indulge in such.They talked down on education and how useless it has become. They talked down on honest work and earnings and openly gave support to unjust gains. They also cited corruption among the political class as an excuse for all to be involved in impunity.
In fact, another woman went ahead to cite cases of people involved in prostitution to help themselves. She spoke about a prostitute who now resides in UK. In all, the conversation became very disgusting and I wished I had my own car so I could travel with my sanity intact. Unfortunately, I presume one of those women supporting Internet fraud is a church goer. I deduced that from the conversation. I don't want to call her a Christian.
*I observed somethings in that conversation. First, what people value drives their pursuit*. Those people value making money at all cost more than honest gain and acquiring proper education. They wouldn't mind having any of their children engage in fraud or prostitution as long as money keeps coming. To them, education that cannot make you a multi millionaire overnight is not worth it. That's what happens when people worship money.
As a nation, we are where we are not because we are not prayerful as some think but because we value and promote unrighteous. We have made it the norm yet we complain things are not working. In changing our nation, magic will not happen overnight. In a country where everyone wants to be rich overnight; with preachers preaching a message of sudden wealth instead of teaching people to create value that can be monetized, impunity will reign freely.
Proverbs 14:34 says, *"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people*".
One of them asserted he won't stop anyone he knows from engaging in fraud If that is God's way of blessing the person. I make bold to tell you that God doesn't bless people through fraud. If you know anyone that is wealthy through internet fraud, corruption or money rituals but has now become a big donor to charity causes or in church, that action won't make God accept him/her.
Jeremiah 17:11 says, *“As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly;In the midst of his days it will forsake him,And in the end he will be a fool*".
*A nation where the rich are valued more than the poor will be a breeding ground for criminals. Why? People will make money at all cost because they want to be valued&honoured. A church where honour and spirituality is ascribed to the rich only will receive offerings and tithes from fraudster*".
Even in ministry today, we honour the wealthy and big preacher more than the poor missionary in the village. Every young minister covets the grace of the big and wealthy minister but no one covets the grace of the poor preacher.
Let me ask you, do you value honest gain? Do you value righteousness? What you value will determine what you will pursue.