Summertime StoriesSample

Acts 8:18-23

 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. 

19 “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!”

20 But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought! 

21 You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. 

22 Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive your evil thoughts, 

23 for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.”

I’ve got to admit; this story hits a little close to home. Simon was a sorcerer who wanted to use God’s power for his own fame, so he offered to buy it from Peter. He is rebuked, of course, but Peter also accuses him of “bitter jealousy.” 

I get it. I can relate to Simon just a little bit. I’ve got a big, bold personality, but underneath, I’m pretty insecure.  When I see other people getting to do stuff that I think I’d like to do or having stuff I think I’d like to have, I get jealous. I want what they have, I want to do what they’re doing, I want to be the one with all the attention and the best opportunities and the most respect. And when I can’t figure out how to get those things, I get tempted to do what Simon did: take matters into my own hands. How can I manipulate things in my favor? How can I leverage my natural abilities into more money?  Can I flatter? Can I fawn? Can I get in the right meetings with the right people and say the right thing at the right time to make it all happen?

Yuck. It’s disgusting, not to mention exhausting. Jealousy makes it impossible to enjoy what God is doing in my own life because I get so fixated on what He’s doing in other people’s lives. How ridiculous is it to allow God’s goodness and faithfulness to my brother or sister make me forget all about His goodness and faithfulness to me?

I’m sick of it. A win for my brother is a win for me. I choose to celebrate what God is doing in and through those around me, and not compare their experience to my own. But what about you? Aren’t you tired of comparing how your kids are doing, how you look, what you drive, where you shop, and what your bank account looks like with the whole world? 

Who cares what other people have? You have Jesus, isn’t He enough? Isn’t He better than promotions or new clothes or fancy cars or perfect kids? Isn’t He the answer to what your soul is looking for anyway? 

Join me in repentance today. Let us turn to the Lord and delight ourselves in Him and never look for satisfaction anywhere else again.