Daily Devotional • August 10
A Reading from Acts 4:4-12
4 But many of those who heard the word believed, and they numbered about five thousand.
5 The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are being asked how this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. 11 This Jesus is
‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
it has become the cornerstone.’
12 “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”
Meditation
The story of Ananias and Saphira is not a passage on which I typically spend much time meditating. In fact, when making my way through the book of Acts, I prefer to read it quickly and not dwell on it for very long.
At the beginning of this passage, we read about the early believers’ generosity, their pooling of resources and distribution to those in need. In the very next chapter, we read this account of stinginess, a couple holding back just a little bit of their earnings for themselves. The radical open-handed posture of the early church has already begun closing off. The act of withholding, in and of itself, doesn’t seem to be what triggers Peter’s severe reaction, but rather the couple’s methodical scheming and dishonesty.
I’ll be honest: I don’t know what to make of what comes next. I never have. But reading the text plainly, I know that two people sinned against their community, lied about it, faced censure, and dropped dead. If we read our whole Bibles, we know that these two things can be true: God is merciful beyond our wildest imaginations, and He takes sin seriously, often beyond the bounds of our comfort. In light of that, each week we acknowledge this truth before approaching his altar: “Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Ghost, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy Holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Lauren Anderson-Cripps is director of communications and marketing at Nashotah House Theological Seminary and writes for a variety of publications, including The Living Church. Lauren lives in Wisconsin with her husband, Sam, and their dog, Tennessee Jed.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
The Diocese of Ibba – Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan
Christ Church Christiana Hundred, Wilmington, Delaware