Read Acts 5:1-11

At the time of this writing, Kelly and I’s son, Mattie, is a couple of months shy of turning 4. It’s crazy to see the development already taking place with him! He is an extremely busy not-so- little boy who loves to get into things and experience new adventures. Recently, we have been turned on to kinetic sand (check it out!) and have since purchased some for him to play with.

Well, one morning, I’m getting ready for work and, for just a couple of minutes, take my attention off of Mattie and come back into the room to see sand all over the carpet (we constantly tell him to keep his toys on the table). I must have said something like, “Oh my goodness” with some kind of shocked expression on my face because Mattie read it, got out of his chair, came over to me and hugged me, saying, “Aw, it’s okay, Daddy”.

To what extent do you go to get away with doing something?

Our reading today talks about a married couple who tried to pull a quick one on God and paid the price. Ananias and Sapphira sold some land and offered the money to the apostles. The only thing was that they kept a portion for themselves. Essentially, they were claiming to giving it all to the work of God when they actually weren’t.

The couple’s plan was to go in at different times and Ananias didn’t get too far before Peter sniffed out his lie, saying that he not only lied to them but to God and Ananias fell down dead on the spot. Sapphira came in, not knowing that her husband died for lying, and she meets a similar fate as a result of not being truthful.

Our reading ends with the verse:

“Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.”

What are we supposed to do with this story?

Lying is something that God takes seriously, if you haven’t yet realized. A lying tongue is something that is even said to be hated by God (Proverbs 6:16-19) and has detrimental consequences to everyone.

In my eyes, the application is simple: strive to be truthful in all aspects of your life.

What are some areas in your life where you are most tempted to compromise the truth? When do you most stretch the truth or not tell the whole truth?

It is not my intention to tell you that God will strike you down the next time you lie, but I do want to communicate just how much God detests a lying spirit. My challenge goes out to all of us to take an honest inventory of our lives and repent of any lies that we have told or are living and move toward a more truthful life!

Jake Lawson