Devotion - Acts 5:1-2

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.

So this chapter begins with a married couple, Ananias and Sapphira. They were again wealthy landowners. Owning property in those days made you wealthy…at a time when the Romans were taxing and taking anything they wanted…to own a piece of land separated you into a higher class of citizen. So they are like Joseph in a sense as they related to being property owners…but the relation will stop right there…because they didn’t give from an abundance of love in their heart…no it came from another part of their heart…more about that in a minute…

I can’t help but notice in the scriptures it reads, “With his wife’s full knowledge”. Conspiracy is often found in numbers. If you remember we spoke about how those that move to distract, discourage, and even disrupt often work in secret councils. They find strength in numbers…the same is seen here by Ananias. He couldn’t do this alone. He didn’t have the courage. He needed an accomplice. Sapphira was not a wife of good council or she would have told him what he was about to do is ridiculous, sinful, and misses the point to what giving is all about.

So why did they do what they did? What is the big payoff?

Are you listening?

The big payoff was “the praise of men”. What Ananias and Sapphira wanted, more than anything, was the honor and praise that Joseph received. If you are being honest tonight you too have, more than likely found yourself here before. We watch others as God uses them in miraculous ways and we see how God rewards them with favor and influence…and we want that. We see how they are prosperous in all that they are doing and that God has rewarded them openly…and we want that too. It’s natural to see things in others and desire to have the same qualities, however, we must never become so envious that we stumble and fall. This is the fate of Ananias and Sapphira.
They were envious of the praises of Joseph. They wanted the people to look at them the same way they looked at Joseph…and they plotted to make it appear that way. They both were in on the scam. They both made decisions that ended them up in their current situations.

Are you a thankful giver? What are your motives for giving?