Ananias and Sapphira wanted to have their cake and eat it too. The Believers of the early Church shared their possessions readily and it tells us in Acts 4:34 that “there was no needy persons among them.” That’s because from time to time owners of property or homes would sell them and give the money to the apostles to benefit everyone. So Ananias decided he would do the same…but secretly held back a portion. He wanted the honor and accolades for giving a large gift, but he also wanted the money. So in a way he and his wife were stealing from God and were dumb enough to think they could get by with it. Needless to say it didn’t turn out well for them. You can read the entire story in Acts 5:1-11.
Tag: daily devotions
Proverbs 20:9 ” Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?’ “
As King Solomon so wisely observed in Ecclesiastes 7:20, ” There isn’t a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” So to be naive enough to claim we are without sin is only deceiving ourselves and no one else. (I John 1:8) It all boils down to our will vs God’s will in our life…and the decisions we make everyday to either do what He commands or exert our rebellious free will in pride and disobedience.
I Corinthians 2:9-10 ” However, as it is written, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him – but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.’ “
Jesus told His disciples in John 14:26 that after He left them His Father would send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, in His place…”and the Holy Spirit will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot began to fathom the mysteries of God’s Word. But with the Holy Spirit’s help we can become enlightened, and with that wisdom is given and Spiritual truth revealed.
Lamentations 1:1 ” How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was a queen among the provinces has now become a slave.”
The writer of Lamentations is Jeremiah who spent most of his life warning the Jewish people about their blatant sin against God. So as he observes the utter destruction and desolation of Jerusalem, he can hardly take it all in. So aptly named, Lamentations is his lament…his grief at what once was…to what now lies before him. Jeremiah was known as the “weeping prophet”…a man crying out to his countrymen to repent and turn from their sins…only to now witness the consequences of their rebellion first hand. But this horrific scene didn’t stop Jeremiah from continuing to intercede on behalf of his people…confessing their great sinfulness and appealing to God for mercy.
Matthew 24: 4-5 ” Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, I am the Christ, and will deceive many.’ “
Elsewhere in Mark 13:6-7, Jesus told His disciples, “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.” Now if you’re like me the idea of being deceived by someone attempting to take the place of Jesus…claiming to be His counterpart yet actually being His antithesis is hard to imagine. But yet Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:24, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible.” And according to I John 2:18 they exist and are among us right now, for it reads, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists have come…” So how can we heed this warning from Jesus not to be deceived? The first thing is to know the truth…the Word of God, so when we hear lies or warped, twisted truths we will recognize them immediately. The other is to listen carefully… “If there is denial that Jesus is the Christ from such a man, he is the Antichrist – for he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; for whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (I John 2:22-23)
John 12:26 ” Whoever serves Me must follow Me…”
On many occasions Jesus told someone to “Follow Me.” Some did, but many did not. First off, we humans don’t like to be told what to do…we don’t like rules, especially rules on God’s terms not ours. But also, our selfish and controlling self wants to put “Following Jesus” in a neat well-defined package…like only on Sunday mornings in Church, while the rest of the week we’ll live for ourselves. But when Jesus says, “Follow Me” there is no room for negotiations…for He is God and we are not. That means we are to follow Him in faith, trust, and obedience, not the other way around…for it’s His agenda and His mission, not ours.
I Timothy 4:9-10 ” This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, Who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.”
Hope…there’s a big difference between what the Believer and non-Believer thinks about this word. For the non-Believer, it’s about wishing for something which may or may not occur. In contrast, to the Believer, hope is based on their faith of a living God with assurance to what He has promised in His Word. In addition, this eternal hope is found in their trust and confidence in God’s Son, Jesus Christ…their Lord and Savior.
Deuteronomy 6:13 ” Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name.”
When you go to court, before you are allowed to speak, you are sworn in. This swearing in is a pledge of allegiance to give your word or truth…so help you God. But God also used oaths to show with absolute certainty that His promises would be kept…and since there was no higher authority than Himself, God swore by Himself. In Isaiah 45:23 He said, “By Myself I have sworn.” And in Jeremiah 22:5, He exclaims, “I swear by Myself.” When we take an oath in God’s name, it is a binding agreement or covenant…a solemn pledge not to be taken lightly.
Exodus 20:11 ” For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
As it gets closer and closer to Christmas we get busier and more anxious about getting everything done. So this Scripture is giving us a heads up as to what we can do this Sunday. It’s called a Sabbath rest…a reminder of God’s creative and redemptive work, but also something that was first demonstrated by God Himself on the seventh day. The Sabbath rest is a God-given gift…to serve not enslave us…to be a blessing not a burden as we find rest in Him.
Hebrews 3:1 ” Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus…”
The Author of Hebrews wasn’t writing to unbelievers…He was addressing Followers of Jesus, just like you and me. He was urging them to keep their mind set on Jesus and not the peripheral distractions around them. And I think this is the perfect Scripture to consider a little more than a week out from Christmas! For at this time of the Holiday Season the “To-do” list looms large in front of us…with so many details that need to be done, and so little time to do them. It’s very easy then to lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas and just get caught up in the commercialism and hype. When the stresses of Christmas have you anxious this week…do as this verse suggests…fix your thoughts on Jesus.
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