Whoo weee! We are in Tampa and have just experienced Hurricane Milton. It was such a scary ordeal. I dealt with three days of having no electricity. Which felt far worse! However, with God, we have made it to the other side.
“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostle’s feet.
Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received from the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?'”
Acts 5:1-4 NIV
“And God’s grace was so powerfully at work on them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone in need.”
4:33-35 NIV
I watched a sermon by Dr. Dharius Daniels and these questions come from him. When we read Biblical stories, we should put ourselves within the story by asking the following questions:
Who are they?
What can they represent?
Acts is the start of the church. Everyone lived in community. Wealthier members of the church would give generously. So, that those with needs would be taken care of. This was totally voluntary and a good thing, because it assures everyone is taken care of; and it is God ordained.
What would it take to be Ananias? When we are in a group settings, there is peer pressure, the need to be seen favorably, the need to be seen as having more than, and the need to be seen as generous.
“What made you do such a thing? You have not lied just to humans beings but to God.”
5:4 NIV
Ananias could have chosen to give a portion or to not give at all. We need to remember that God sees everything.
“When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, ‘Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘that is the price.’
Peter said to her, ‘How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.’
At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.'”
5:5-10 NIV
God sees and hears everything. He also perceives the condition of our hearts. We may not experience physical death. However, living a life of deceit does invite suffering and ‘death’ in areas of our lives. It can be within our emotional, physical, spiritual, mental, and/or financial selves. We reap what we sow.
“An honest witness does not deceive,
but a false witness pours out lies.”
Proverbs 14:5 NIV
Our moment of accountability begins with our choice to choose the path of honor, integrity, and moral discipline vs. the path that lacks these things. Choice wisely.
