Monday, April 10

Monday, April 10

Reading:  Acts 5:1-11

Key Verse: Acts 5:11 (NIV) — 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

Devotional Thought:  Talk about a wake-up call!  In spite of persecution and threats, the church is going full-steam ahead.  That is until Ananias and Sapphira come along. The husband and wife tandem drop dead because they held back some of the sale of a plot of land even though they told the apostles they forked over the whole enchilada. Sounds like the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. So why is God so serious about this offense?

Can’t say for certain, but I do think that one thing God is trying to communicate is that dishonesty and disobedience are two main ingredients in the recipe to spoil this whole evangelist effort. Lying and greed are sure to bring disgrace and dishonor on the church.

When things are going well it sure is tempting to take a short-cut or two.  It’s tempting to fudge a little bit on the truth.  It’s tempting to ease up on the obedience. It’s tempting to take credit where credit is not due.

How many ministries or churches have fallen off the rails because of dishonesty and disobedience?  A lot.

This can’t happen and the early church needs a strong reminder that the success of this mission is at least partially due to the selflessness and honesty of the believers.  When those important qualities are compromised, the mission suffers.

The church then and now needs a healthy dose of fear.  We need to stick with the program and at the top of that program are honesty and obedience.

Action:  Inspect your own life for signs of selfishness, greed, and dishonesty.  Remind yourself that these qualities do nothing but bring disgrace on you and the church.  Pray for the leaders of the church that they can maintain complete integrity in their leadership.