Your Daily Devotional for April 6, 2006

April 6, 2006

 

The Deceit of Ananias

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?”

 

Acts 5:1-3

 

No church is perfect because no man is perfect.  Because Christ rose from the dead, Satan could not defeat the church.   He does his very best to corrupt the church by using people to mess things up.  We need to look at ourselves today and realize that we play a big part in whether or not our church is pleasing to the Lord.  We cannot ride on other members; we must live the Christian life ourselves.

 

During this time of exciting New Testament Christianity, we see that the people were willing to sell everything, go anywhere, and be anything for Christ.  Ananias and Sapphira looked like ordinary church members—and good ones at that.  Matthew 7:15 says, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”  I am not saying that these two individuals were false prophets, but I am saying that people can be different on the inside than on the outside.  This couple was probably considered one of the very best, godly, and excited couples living for the Lord, but “the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

 

In the heart of Ananias, the Lord saw deceit.  This couple could have done what they wanted with the money that they had made, but instead, they kept back part and said they had given it all.  Are you keeping back part of yourself from God while you tell Him that you are giving Him all?  Are you giving cheerfully or hiding deceit in your heart?  Are you talking as though you are involved, but not living it out daily in your life? 

 

This church, probably the best and closest to the most perfect church ever, faced a problem, and that problem involved people.  The problem was taken care of and continued to go forward, but Ananias and Sapphira did not get to be part of it.  What about you?  God promised that the church would go forward.  The question is, will it go forward with you or without you?

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