Acts 5:1-11 – A Heart for the Lord

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

God will judge the intention of YOUR heart. The heart of your loved ones can do nothing for you.

Today’s devotional reading: Acts 5:1-11

God is going to judge what is in the heart. To be clear: God is going to judge what is in your heart. I want to make this clear to you because we often get hung up on the acts. Yes, the Lord is going to judge our actions, but the intent is what will be in focus. You see, actions can be deceiving, but God is not one to be deceived.

Ananias and Sapphira are two examples of the deceiving heart. They saw a community forming, and desired to be a part of the community. That community was the early church being led by the apostles. Acts 4:32-37 shows that the early church was a community born from love and charity. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to be a part of the community, but their hearts weren’t really for it as they sought to hold back for themselves, while saying they would give. In their lying words and actions, they were struck down by the Lord because, as Peter said, they had lied not to man but to the Holy Spirit.

Loving God is a choice that you have to make for yourself. You see, it is not enough if your parents or grandparents loved the Lord; they cannot love the Lord for you. It is not enough if your friends have loved for the Lord, as they can only love the Lord for themselves. Sitting in the church, being a part of the church community, does nothing for you if your heart isn’t really in it.

So, loving God must not only be your choice, but it has to be a choice that you are committed to keeping. God wants your full commitment, just as He is fully committed to you. In the end, God will judge the intention and whether or not your heart was committed to Him or to another. Let us not choose the path of Ananias and Sapphira.