Acts
5:1-2 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira,
also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back
part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the
apostles’ feet.
Ananias and Sapphira did more than lie and act
stingy. They wanted glory for themselves (see this passage in light of the end
of chapter 4). It was about them and not God. Peter confronted Ananias and he
immediately died. Then…
Acts 5:7-11 7 About
three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter
asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”
“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”
9 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.”
10 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. 11 Great
fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Does
this seem harsh? When first reading it, it may. However, notice how Peter gives
Sapphira a second chance. He gives her an opportunity to repent and tell the
truth.
Recently, I gave
one of my kids an opportunity to tell their story a second time, with accurate
facts. In “fixing” their story, the consequence was different than it would
have been. We again talked about how lying and any sin is ultimately against
God and nothing gets by Him!
What sin do you
and I need to acknowledge, repent of, and turn from? Who is the sin really
against? Who else is affected? How can God’s presence and power help so you and
I can continue to grow? You and I
can fearlessly ask God to reveal sin because He will forgive. He also offers a way out, help to turn from
it, and help to replace it.
Alice
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