Acts 5:3-4
"But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.'"
There's a lot going on in this text. In an effort to glorify themselves, Ananias and Sapphira are found making a public show of presenting an offering to the church at Jerusalem. They claimed they were giving all of the proceeds from a land sale to the Lord when in fact, they had secretly kept back some of the money for themselves.
Yes, God owns it all, but he entrusts it to us to be used for the glory of the kingdom. Here is a family that cared for the glory of the kingdom, but they also wanted to have their own. While I don't think it is directed by the word to sell all we have to give to the church, it is clearly a sin to stand before a church and claim glory for yourself which you say you are giving to God.
Notice Peter's response. He places the blame for this action directly upon Satan. Instead of being filled with the Spirit, Ananias and Sapphira had been filled by Satan to lie. Of course, that doesn't mean Ananias and Sapphira were blameless before God and the church, and Peter calls them to account for their actions.
No one ever gets away with a "devil made me do it" excuse. While Satan is at the heart of all evil, it is in our own hearts that we invite sin in. As believers, we have a choice – be filled with the Spirit or be filled with sin. Unfortunately, we sometimes try to have it both ways, even when serving the Lord in the church.
When we decide to serve sin, we're living in a lie against God. There is no such thing as a sin which doesn't affect our relationship with God. Every sin strains the fellowship which is ours with God, bought by Christ on the cross. Every act of disobedience grieves the heart of the Father and pushes away the abiding presence of the Spirit. Every sin figuratively crucifies again our Savior. Don't lie to yourself by claiming no one is hurt by your sins.
LORD JESUS
Lord, I ask you to search my heart and point out every lie I bring before the Spirit by claiming glory that is not mine to claim. May all I have rightfully belong to you. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment