When It is Actually Not Your All
BRD REFLECTIONS
Acts 5:1-16 and Psalm 89:1-29 (NIV)
(Joel Choong, Missionary Associate)
READ:
Acts 5:3, 9 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
A question that I had was: How did Peter know that both Ananias and Sapphira had lied? I thought only the two of them would know about it. In addition, it seems that they came separately to the apostles, and even in their separation, both were willing to lie for their own benefit.
I recalled from the Old Testament, where Achan had kept treasures personally and caused the people of God to lose in battle. It was Joshua who would uncover the hidden treasures. But I would venture that both Joshua and Peter had uncovered the hidden sins because of the leading of the Holy Spirit.
It can be observed that God knows if we are hypocritical in our actions: He knows when we say that we are giving all that we have, but instead hide an amount just for ourselves. More than that, there is severe punishment when we lie and hide, and our punishment affects those around us. For Ananias, it would involve Sapphira, who might not have made the decision to hold back, but also lied. For Achan, it would be the destruction of his whole family.
APPLY:
When I was younger, I heard a sermon by Rev Melvin Huang, our former Pastor-in-charge. In this sermon, he gave an illustration of two children trading sweets. One said to the other, “I’ll trade with you all my sweets for all of yours.” The other agreed, and as they were parting ways, the first one asked, “Are you sure these are all of your sweets?” This was because he had kept a few of his own in his pocket.
Even in this simple story, man’s selfishness is clear. Upon reflection, I am like the child hiding something in my pocket; I am like Achan; I am like Ananias. I sing the song “Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I live for you alone” but the song of commitment ends when it becomes an inconvenience to me, and I hold back once more.
On top of that, there are consequences to withholding from God. It is not right if I say “I will give my all”, but it is not actually my all. It will affect those around me, whether I like it or not. In the big picture, it affects my relationship with the Lord my God.
DO:
In preparing this passage, I asked myself: Are there things that I have yet to dig up and offer to God? Are there areas in my life that I know I have not fully offered to God?
Looking ahead, I also asked God for wisdom to be generous with as much as He can allow me to be. From other stories in the Bible, I know that He does not force people to do things that they do not want to, but at the same time, there is a cost to following Christ. It takes infinite wisdom to make sense of this, and I seek His wisdom in my daily decisions. I want to live wholly for Him, and I pray that He gives me the strength to make decisions that might be hard for me to make.
PRAY:
Dear Lord, forgive us for the times that we have hidden something from you, and not given you our all. Please give us the wisdom to give generously, and not to hide anything from you, pretending to give when we have not. Give us wisdom to manage our resources that you have given us to steward, and help us to remember that they all belong to you. Help us to trust you more and more each day, and to look to you for our daily steps. Jesus, in your precious name we pray, Amen.
