The Book of Acts: Turn Your World Upside DownSample

Today’s Devotional:

Let’s be honest. Today’s reading in Acts chapter 5 is a bit of a doozy. In the first portion of this chapter, we see the story of Ananias and Sapphira—a husband and wife who were dishonest about the money they earned from selling their property and withheld some of their profit. When confronted about their lie, both Ananias and Sapphira fall and die on the spot. While this may be a bit tough to swallow at first glance, we must look at the Scripture that precedes this story to give us clearer context.

In the concluding thoughts of Acts chapter 4, we see that the believers in the early Church—filled with the Holy Spirit—were functioning in one mind and accord. As time passed, these people would sell their land or property and bring the entirety of their profit to the disciples' feet. The apostles would take this money and use it to serve the community's needs. This was the tone as we enter into this story in Acts chapter 5. With Ananias and Sapphira, their actions spoke louder than their words. They wanted to appear open-handed and receive credit for their generosity, as they had seen other believers do, but they didn’t want to feel the full impact of giving everything.

As hard as it may be to process, this story presents two questions that we all need to ask ourselves: What am I holding back? Why am I holding back?

In our lives today, ‘holding back’ might not look like Ananias and Sapphira’s story—and the stakes may not seem nearly as high as passing away on the spot. But maybe, for you, it looks like putting on a face for everyone that you have it all together when you’re actually crumbling. Or it could look like choosing to break a commitment when the right thing to do is to press through difficulty. We all have something to release from our grip.

When we think about what we are holding back, it brings us to the awareness of what God has put in our hands. When we confront why we are holding back, it makes us reckon with the things hindering us from fully trusting in God’s will for our lives. Answering these questions helps us recognize the weight of stewardship in our lives and empowers us to step fully into the life that Jesus has for us.

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Today’s devotional was written by Erica Sade.

Questions to Consider:

• What are you holding back?
• Why are you holding back?

Prayer:

God, reveal to me the ways I have been holding back. Allow my eyes to be opened to what I have in my hands, and give me the wisdom to steward it well. Help me to relinquish my fear or distrust, and teach me to trust in you fully. Amen.