May 27, 2011 - Act 5

S - Acts 5:4b You have not lied to men but to God
O - Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, had sold their posessions and, as many were doing at this time, brought the proceeds to the house of the Lord so as to share this with the other believers. However, they decided to bring only a portion of the proceeds and keep the rest. This in itself was not wrong but they told the leaders that they brought it all. Due to this lie, later on in the chapter one by one they told this lie and both died instantly.
A - Throughout life there are ample opportunities to tell the truth or to lie without anyone knowing what is the truth. However, there is always one that knows the truth and sees everything, God. When we decide to bend or twist the truth or flat out lie, they are all the same; it's a lie. God knows this lie and even if we think we get away with this lie, ince no one found out the truth, He knows it and ultimately He is the only one that we should really be worried about. Due to all that He has done for us, we should do all that we can to not only please Him but serve and honor Him.
In addition to this, another reason we should refrain from lies is that when we tell the truth we never have to remember what we told other people. When there are lies thrown out, we need to be aware of who we told what so as to not get 'caught' in our lie, even though we have already been caught by our Heavenly Father. Telling the truth is just so much easier and we've been commanded to do so.
P - Heavenly Father, thank you for alll that you have done for me. Help me to honor you by always telling the truth and being a man that others can count on truth and integrity from. Forgive me for those lies that I have told in the past and help me be an example to my family on what it really means to tell the truth and have integrity in every area of my life. Amen.