deception
June 17, 2009
READ: Acts 5:1-5
Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have
you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit” (v.3).
Jérôme Kerviel, a 31-year-old options trader at France’s second-largest bank, Société Générale, used the bank’s system to make unauthorized stock trades. When he was discovered, the high roller’s bets totaled $55b. To put it in perspective, the entire bank was worth only $35b. Talk about deception!
Ananias and his wife Sapphira, the famous deceivers of the New Testament, made a similar mistake. They sold off some land and then Ananias “brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount” (v.2), and pocketed the rest.
The kicker is that Sapphira okayed his deception! That’s why we can’t always rely on the people around us for ethical guidance—especially when they have something to gain. It is the Lord who “demands accurate scales and balances; He sets the standards for fairness” (Proverbs 16:11).
Since God sets the standards, it’s no surprise that He takes it seriously when we blow by them. A lack of integrity involves choosing Satan’s influence over the influence of the Holy Spirit. Think that’s harsh? When Ananias messed up, Peter said, “Why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3).
Deceiving the Holy Spirit is not only wrong, it’s the impossible crime—we never get away with it. The Bible warns, “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Confrontation is certain, and for Ananias it was deadly—“He fell to the floor and died” (Acts 5:5).
I doubt that Ananias viewed his double-dealing as a grave offense to God. He probably thought, “It’s no big deal. My wife thinks it’s fine, and no one will find out.” He was unaware that “people with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall” (Proverbs 10:9). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
How are you tempted to cut corners or ignore God’s standards for right and wrong? How can you avoid double-dealing with the Holy Spirit?
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Loading ...common cents
June 17, 2009
READ: Mark 12:41-44
[Jesus said,] “This poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury.” —Mark 12:43
In 1987, Mike Hayes, a freshman at the University of Illinois, found a unique way to finance his education. He convinced a popular columnist at the Chicago Tribune to ask his readers to “send in a penny for Mike.”
“Just one penny,” Hayes said. “A penny doesn’t mean anything to anyone. If everyone . . . looks around the room right now, there will be a penny under the couch cushion . . . or on the floor. That’s all I’m asking. A penny from each of your readers.”
In less than a month the fund was up to 2.3 million cents. Donations came in from all over the US, as well as Mexico, Canada, and the Bahamas. Mike eventually ended up with $28,000!
The common cent just isn’t worth much—unless it’s added to a whole bunch of other pennies. The woman we read about in Mark 12 gave the equivalent of a fraction of a penny, which was “all that she had” (v.44). But Jesus honored that little bit.
The widow’s sacrifice was an example and an encouragement to the disciples—and to us. She gave all she had. Have we ever been so generous? Jesus used an unnamed widow to teach us what giving is all about.
It was less than a cent, yet it was a priceless gift of love to God. — Cindy Hess Kasper
God looks at the heart, not the hand; the giver, not the gift.
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By MeL Scribe, 17, Australia
The world is in need of forgiveness, now more than ever. In times of crisis, one’s first instinct is to shift the blame to someone else, or when an appropriate scapegoat is discovered, all eyes and hatred are turn to him or her, ready to begrudge that person of everything. We are a flawed and cruel people.
The media portrays some just reasons for anger, especially in the last season of the Victorian bushfire crisis. No person can be held responsible for an earthquake, but the thirst for revenge is stirred at the news of a disaster deliberately started. It is a natural response for us to want our loved ones avenged, but this desire is not a beneficial or healthy one.
Such is the cold and harsh emotional climate in which I endeavour to reach you, my audience. Hear me out if I have lost you with my first two paragraphs. Each and every one of us makes mistakes or bad decisions over both trivial and important matters at some point in our lives. Some of these foibles are more significant than others, but all of us have fallen short nevertheless. We are as guilty as Eve who bit into the forbidden fruit.
Yet there is room for us to show the better side of our character. Each of us has the capability to be a considerate, self-disciplined citizen of a loving world—if we would only try. A world where no one is ostracised, excluded, ignored or rejected. Why bother? You ask me. Why should I be nice to everyone around me, even toward those whom I don’t like? Because we can make this wretched world a better place in ways beyond our wildest imagination. And you, yes, you, have that power just by choosing to make the right decision. You have the power in your words and your actions to make someone’s day. You could choose to smile and show appreciation to the person at the supermarket checkout, or the bus driver who brings you to where you need to be, or the boss who pays you every month so you have money to spend. You have the power to positively rock their world. What a great privilege!
But even my enemies? You think. Yes, even your enemies. In fact, your enemies will be the first people to notice the change in your attitude. Initially they may be wary of you and suspicious of your motives, but your persistence will win them over, and eventually you will see how valuable your enemy can be to you as a friend. So what’s holding you back? Why do we refuse to improve ourselves in order to make a positive difference in this world? All of us have a need for others to recognize our identity and purpose as an agent of change; a desire of ours is to make the world we live in a better place.
One of the things that may be stopping you could be pride. Why should I treat my enemies with mercy and forgiveness when they started the war against me? If anyone should make peace, it should be them, not me! They’ll think me weak and susceptible to attack; like a doormat they’ll wipe their feet all over me! Not a chance. But I tell you, that may not be true. At the end of it, they will see you a strong and determined individual for the worthy cause of a peacemaker.
Another thing holding your forgiveness back could be pain. You think that they have done you an unforgivable wrong, and your imaginary wound is still smarting from the hurt they have dealt you. In a short story I’ve written, Sandra has a clear reason for not wanting to forgive her enemies, but still the Captain trained her, or hoped to teach her the lesson on forgiveness. Was it too much of him to ask that of them? Perhaps to you it was, but let me explain the Captain’s demands from his point of view. He asked them to forgive the ruthless pirates not just because he needed them alive when the ship reached the port, but he knew that if they never let go of their hatred, they were never recover from their loss and would hence grant their enemies a victory from the agonizing invisible wounds remaining in their heart. (Look out for this story in my future post!)
By refusing to let go of the past pain, you would be allowing the enemies to achieve their goals. You would be granting those enemies a victory over you by letting your past hinder your present and control your future!
Forgive and forget, unless you want to grant them this satisfaction. It takes time, but it is possible.
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