This story of these two people astounds me every time that I read it. They devised such a creative little plan to sell some property and give the money to the church. The only problem is that they didn't give all of it, though they told everyone that they had. The thing that blows my mind is that God chose to take their life for their lie. Ironically though, it's not like they got caught for something and tried to lie their way out of it. They came up with the whole idea; they could have just kept their money or given some of it anonymously, but they chose to say they had given every penny. Obviously, they wanted people to think more of them than they were worth. Their first mistake was to go before everyone and brag about their gift. God doesn't enjoy a haughty giver. What we have, He has given to us anyway and it is not our own. So for these people to brag about their generosity is their first mistake, and they really overdid it by lying about it. Let this story come to your mind the next time you want to tell somebody how great you are; remember God gave you everything you have. If you want to brag, brag on Him. I think the story would have been a little different if these two had bragged how wonderful God was for selling their land.
Food For Thought: Where should Ananias and Saphira have directed the bragging instead of to themselves? Do you think that God is concerned with the purity of His church?
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