Q:
I got involved in something I knew was wrong (and also stupid), but a couple of friends talked me into it, and now we're in jail and facing trial. I never thought this would happen to me, and it's really hurt my parents. Pray I'll get out of this somehow.
A:
One reason I wanted to reprint your letter is because I hope it will warn someone who’s being tempted to go down the same road you did. Bad decisions always lead to bad consequences — without exception.
You see, God has told us what’s right and wrong, and He did so because He knows what will happens to us when we do wrong. You don’t indicate what you and your “friends” did, but even if you had gotten by with it this time, it would have caught up with you eventually. You even might have been tempted to commit greater wrongs, leading to greater penalties. The Bible warns, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7).
No matter what the outcome is to your trial, the real question is this: How will you live in the future? Will you continue down the same path, or will you learn from this and take a new path — God’s path? God loves you, and He yearns for you to turn to Christ and make Him the center and foundation of your life. Open your heart to Jesus today.
Then ask God to help you turn away from temptation and do what is right. Seek out a church where you can learn what it means to follow Jesus instead of the ways of the world. Heed too God’s warning: “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character'” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
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