It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for the disciples and the growing community of Christian believers. The unfortunate fate of Ananias and Sapphira gives us an insight into the depth of the lifestyle the community was living in. These two had broken the ninth commandment and curried favour where they should have sought humility. At the same time the Holy Spirit was moving among the faithful and many were being healed and restored – their life of devotion was working! But the more the community increased in numbers the more persecution they endured. The authorities were lashing out at anyone following the new faith as they desperately tried to cling onto their old ways.

As we read these passages it should remind us that living in faith can be an uncertain thing. Generally speaking we like things we understand. We like the security of knowing how things are going to be and we like the predictability of habit and tradition. It gives us a sense of security. That’s what the Pharisees and the Sadducees were holding onto. The new believers had come to realise that letting God guide and direct life might not give that same sense of predictability but it was altogether a better way of living. They had learned that they needed to surrender what they were doing to God instead of struggling to contain the things of life in familiar habits and traditions.

That’s what God’s love is about. He loves us so much that He will always provide for us, He will always hold us up when we need support and always bless us when we’re in need. All we need to do is love Him enough to trust Him.

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Questions:

How good are you at trusting God? How much of your life do you manage yourself where you could hand control to God through the Holy Spirit?

Prayer:

Lord God, forgive us for not trusting You to provide for us and support us. Forgive us for not trusting You with everything. We pray that today You would send Your Holy Spirit among us and bless us with an unfathomable trust in You. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.