April 10, 2008 - Acts 5:13

“No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.” Acts 5:13.
Incredible events had just occurred within this new community of Jesus followers; events that caused great fear and awe to spread among them. This husband and wife, who had tried to deceive God by withholding money that they had pledged, had died suddenly in the presence of Peter and those in attendance. There was a whole, new seriousness to what they were doing and to the life they were living, as a community. This verse indicates that “no one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded.” There was no room for half-hearted belief or for pretenders who may have been involved in the community for reasons other than being a follower of Jesus.
If I had been one who had some mixed reasons for being involved, I would have been a bit more than a little nervous! After all, would I want to end up like this couple? These serious circumstances might have caused me to take a deeper look into my own heart and soul to see where I was really at. They also might have caused me to run away and not faced the true condition on my soul. Either way, I would not have been half-hearted about the decision. I would have been shaken off the fence to decide whether or not to follow Jesus whole-heartedly.
In our world today, we are faced with a similar decision. Maybe there are not the sudden consequences as this early community faced, yet we are none-the-less confronted with ultimate consequences when faced with the reality and seriousness of following Jesus with our whole heart. Take some time today to consider the seriousness of following Jesus.
Questions to consider: Where are you in regards to following Jesus? Are you seeking after Him as whole-heartedly as you can, or are you just coasting along, or are you somewhere in between? What are the consequences for the way that I am choosing to follow Him?
Prayer: Father, help me to, as whole-heartedly as I can, follow after you. Help me to see the hindrances that cause me to be distracted from following You, and give me the strength to follow hard after You. Amen.