Written by Mark Driskill:
Thursday January 13, 2011
Read Acts 5:1-6
“Ananias, why has Satan so filled your heart…?”
One of Satan’s tactics is to tempt us to pervert the grace of God for our own personal gratification. We saw in the last chapter how many were coming, of their own accord, under no pressure, to sell their land or possessions in order to help the poor. What a beautiful display of God’s grace to see wealthy man, aka Barnabas, give up his own personal property to help needy people. His giving apparently inspired the Apostles to nickname him, “the son of encouragement”. He was not looking for recognition, but for an opportunity to serve. But as Ananias observed this he saw an opportunity to gain some fame for himself and still make a profit. He and his wife decided to sell a piece of property, then bring in part of the amount but pretend it was the entire sum. In this way they could look like Barnabas without really losing anything.
Satan had filed their hearts with religious pride and ambition which blinded them to the real purpose of giving. They were so filled with this that they were willing to lie to God himself in order to be admired by the church. But in the end it killed them both. I’m glad the Bible is honest enough to include stories like this that show how dark even those in the church can be when they get their eyes off the Lord and onto themselves. Their tragic story reminds us all that you can’t expect to get away with using God for your own advancement. My question is, given this fact why are so many of us still alive?
Why aren’t there people dropping dead in church every Sunday? Those who are constantly posing in front of the church, making themselves out to be more holy than they really are, make Ananias and Sapphira look like saints. I look at this and wonder why I am still alive, as I remember times when I have used super spiritual words to make myself look better than I am. Or I have exaggerated my testimony to make it sound as dramatic as everyone else in order to fit in. I think of the times I have made up spiritual sounding reasons for not obeying God so I could do what I want and still look righteous, and wonder why I’m not pushing up daisies. I can only attribute that to God’s great mercy.
Honestly at this stage in my life I have taken a serious look at my Christianity over the past thirty years and wondered how God has put up with my pretentious talk and shallow actions in years past. I truly am in a time of repentance over decisions made and words spoken in earlier days. It is a great mistake to pretend to be more than you are in God. I thank God that He has graciously put up with my adolescent attempts at image building over the years. I don’t want to lie to the Holy Spirit or His church. Lord help us all avoid the trap of posing in front of each other. Help us be who we are in you, trusting that we don’t have to play games with grace in order to win your love, for you have accepted us as we are.
Mark Driskill and his wife Mary are homeschooling community ministers in Breathitt County Kentucky. They have four children. They co pastor Emmanuel fellowship Church, serve as Camp Pastors at Bethel Mennonite Camp, and Mark Teaches at Oakdale Christian Academy.
Mark is web minister for Begotten by theWord , a ministry of Helping Hands Christian Resources.
Once a month he preaches on the local radio station through the “Lion of Judah” program. Mark also preaches in youth rallies and revivals upon request at no charge. Their vision is to see true spiritual awakening come to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and to the nation.
Contact information:
Email: driskill@hilbillymail.com
Facebook: Mark Driskill
Address: PO Box 1159 Jackson KY.
