Just before writing today’s article, I watched the video clip of a multi-million-naira property being bulldozed on the authority of the Enugu State government of Nigeria. The property belonged to a millionaire who made his money through crime. He was notorious for kidnapping people and burying them, some alive, in his compound. When he was arrested, he became a spectacle to the whole community. In a separate development, a woman who had perpetrated fraud for many years was recently apprehended in Ibadan, Nigeria. Her modus operandi was to hire people to feign all forms of misfortune and unleash them on society to ask for alms. She had built her inglorious trade substantially, having agents in Ibadan and Lagos, Nigeria. Out of what her employees make, a percentage is paid back to them as a stipend. She had built houses and bought cars from the proceeds of crime before the bubble burst. She was apprehended as a result of the confession of one of her recruits.

Making money through fraud or other crimes does not guarantee peace of mind…A fraudulent approach to enrichment may appear to be fast, but the end is shame, sorrow, and regret.

Making money through fraud or other crimes does not guarantee peace of mind. No matter what you gain in the process, it will leave your soul empty and craving for more. On the contrary, the little that the righteous gets in a decent and honest way brings satisfaction. This is the truth conveyed in scripture that the blessing of the Lord makes one rich and adds no sorrows with it (Proverbs 10:22). A fraudulent approach to enrichment may appear to be fast, but the end is shame, sorrow, and regret.