so how much is life in Christ ‘worth’?:
“when simon [the sorcerer] saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, ‘give me also this ability so that everyone on whom i lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’
peter answered: ‘may your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! you have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. for i see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”
this passage of scripture from acts chapter 8 is disturbingly similar to the ministry “world” of today. the town of samaria’s leading sorcerer, simon, heard philip’s preaching about christ, and believed. so, he was baptized, and then, when he saw the disciples laying their hands on people and saw them receive the Holy Spirit, he wanted to pay the disciples money in order to receive this gift of laying on of hands, too. i mean, wow. what a cool power. simon just had to have it. after all, the people already followed him. peter called him out in the passage above, pointing to several things:
money: simon thought he could buy the gift of God with money.
heart: simon’s heart was not right before God.
capacity: he was full of bitterness and was captive to sin.
as i pray over this passage and this day, i am struck by how easy it is to deceive myself. the lie goes something like this: ‘if i can get people to believe i’ve got it all together, and if i can get them to experience me as someone peaceful, loving and calm,’ then i will have become a successful christian.’ constructing a facade of myself so deep that i even ‘act’ while alone, repels the Spirit of God whom i seek. what also strikes me, is how judgemental i get of simon. really, i think to myself, how could he have had this thought? i equate myself with peter. after all, how could anybody think they could buy the grace of God with money?? well, i may not have that particular thought-train running through my head, but i definitely have a hard time dealing wth money and self-esteem and understanding my worth apart from how much i “cost.” so, how long will it be, before i try to buy God with this kind of warped understanding? i hope i never get there. so, you know what? i’m just going to pray now, starting at the bottom of the list of what went wrong for simon, and go up. it’s not a religious formula. i just want to pray against the roots of this folly. i send this out to you, not to accuse, but because i know it can apply to more than just me. may you be blessed by the spiritual blessings of Christ, and drawn toward the priceless grace of the cross:
full of bitterness, captive to sin. God, i confess that instead of letting you protect my heart, i have held onto bitterness, thinking bitterness would shield me from this world. but bitterness and callousness shuts you out, too. it wrangles me into a pin of anger and judgement and rage, hopelessness. this is the prison cell from which the profane spills out of my mouth. this is the cup overflowing that you would rather occupy.
heart right before God. Lord, there is nothing i can do without you, so may i worship you alone. may i seek to be your servant, not the glossy, got-everything-together image that i worship in my mind. let’s throw away the pretense. may i sit at your feet? let me tell you how much i am starving for your love!
money. i confess my lust for money and the positions of power it bestows. help me, God, to truly value the worth you have given me that cannot be seen with the eyes or bought and sold. help me to store my treasure in heaven- to invest in your kingdom, knowing there is no security or power that can be gained apart from you. you have bought me with a price and that price has nothing to do with how much i make or how much i seem to have it all together. Lord, help me to accept the priceless gift of your grace and indescribable, overwhelming love.
FRIENDS: be encouraged this day, in all it’s profanity, to consider the treasure you are to God. be blessed and filled with the Holy Spirit– may we all pray for each other, and never give up meeting together with others who believe.
