Acts 5
February 10, 2022
“Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” (v 4)
The sin that resulted in God’s judgment on Ananias and Sapphira was not that they weren’t willing to give all of their property proceeds to the church. It was that they tried to appear like that’s what they had done. Their deception was for the sake of looking like they were more committed and more generous than they actually were. Their focus was not on pleasing God so much as gaining the approval of man.
Lord, I praise You because You are just, a holy God who does not wink at sin. I praise You that You will ultimately judge all sin. But I also thank You that there is grace for all those who turn to You with their sin and trust You as Savior. Forgive me, Jesus, for those times when I’ve followed in the footsteps of Ananias and Sapphira, slipping into being more concerned with people perceiving me as generous than with actually being generous. Grant me a “holy fear of You” (v5, 11) - so that I seek Your approval, and am not duped into playing for the approval of people!
— Pastor Joshua Brooks
Use the following steps to guide your daily time with the Lord…
-
Start with prayer. Ask God to open your heart to help you understand and receive His Word.
-
Read and observe the passage carefully. As needed, read a second Bible version to help with understanding.
➡️ What does it say?
What does this passage teach me about God? What does it say about my sinful nature and my need for God’s grace? How does this passage point to Jesus?
-
➡️ What am I going to do about it?
Does this passage include a promise to claim, an action/attitude to avoid/embrace, or a principle to apply? How can this truth apply to my life? What could my next step be? How can I share this with others? Is there a verse or section of Scripture I need to memorize?
