The Lord brought me to Acts 5:2 this morning, "And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet", and 1 Corinthians 4:4, "For I know nothing by myself, and am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord." Just like Ananias and his wife Sapphira, the apostles and God were aware. He and his wife were aware they were cheating the Lord as the apostles and God were also aware of their transgression.
Sometimes in our desire to serve the Lord, our fleshly desires get in the way of our prostration before him. We cannot serve both money and God. We will hate one and love the other. Monetary wealth is a direct manifestation of the spiritual abundance he has given us, and not the other way around. Does He not gather the grapes and cut them off from the vine as well? And he will also demonstrate this with His people.
Modesty and reverence for the Lord must outweigh my own desire. Did he not raise us up from the dust of the earth and multiply as numerous as the stars in the sky? We were blessed before we were formed and we are still blessed as we hold on to His promises. That is the splendor of the Lord. As we desire him, God too desires our heart. And if we desire the flesh, death too will desire our life.
There is nothing new under the sun. We may fool our fellows and we may fool ourselves, but we cannot fool the Lord. That is why it's so important to spend time with him-doing so brings joy and clarity. He reveals hidden things to His children in the secret place. As God has blessed us, let us too, revel in His majesty and give to the Lord what belongs to him.
