“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” ~ Acts 5:1-2
REFERENCE:
Let’s head out to the church of the first century. A revival just broke out in the city, and people came to Jesus Christ. A church of devoted and selfless believers driven by a passion to serve the Lord with their possessions was budding. They were committed to ending poverty in their congregation. With this illustrious backdrop, we see pious deceit in the church.
Pious deceit is an oxymoron (a figure of speech that combines contradictory words). It pictures a mixture of holiness and filth, religiosity and idolatry, and sanctity and hypocrisy. Sapphira and Ananias fit these contradictions. Their church was making generous and free donations, and they wanted to be seen to be a part of it, although their motive was wrong. Therefore, they sold a property and conspired to keep back a portion of the proceeds, claiming they were giving all.
It must have been much when they brought the amount, but it was not ‘all’ as they claimed they were doing. Their giving must have had several zeros behind it, but it was based on lies. They both illustrate pious deceit and fake generosity. Let’s see the traits of such generosity:
a. It is motivated by the praise of men, not the approval of God.
b. It is more concerned about ‘show’ and living to make an impression on people.
c. It is crucial that the giving is broadcast or done in such an advertising way.
d. It seeks to get praise or recognition for giving more than it does.
Although members of a vibrant body of believers, Ananias and Sapphira lived fake lives. They had the church clothes but not the heart; they could sing the song but not live its life; they had a form of godliness but did not understand the power of God. These cost them dearly. God wants you and I to self-examine today and confront every form of pious deceit in our lives. Is there something you are not (doing) but make people believe you are (doing)? Stop it!
PHOTO QUOTE
ADDITIONAL TEXTS:
Leviticus 27:28, Joshua 7:11-12, and I Timothy 6:10
PRAYER:
+ Lord, search me and see if there is any guile or deceit in me, and purge me with the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Give me the grace to maintain true and deep righteousness and not to be an inconsistent Christian – hot today and cold tomorrow. Henceforth, I choose to manifest Your character in all I do, ensuring consistency in word and character.
