is that so bad

I'm not rich. I know you can get into 'well most of the world lives on 5 dollars a day', but I'm talking about buying bentleys, private jet flying, living in a house that has more rooms than people rich. I'm not rich. This observation is purely from the outside looking in…rich people are weird! Maybe it's because they can buy anything they want or go anywhere or do just about anything, but they're weird!

So what happens when a rich person gets popped in the face with the Spirit of God? Simon the magician was just such an individual. In Acts 8 you find out that he's following Philip around and he's amazed at all the miracles Philly is doing. When Peter and John get there they want these people to experience the Holy Spirit like they have. They lay hands on them and the Spirit comes. Simon freaks out! He offers to pay anything for this power! What he doesn't understand is that this power doesn't cost you something it cost you EVERYTHING!

I watched Confessions of a Shopaholic last week (I know! don't give me crap, you've seen it to!). But in the movie she is buying stuff to deal with an internal issue. I'm sure Peter would've dealt with her the same way he dealt with Simon:

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. (v. 20-22)

Now here's the kicker!

v. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."

Simon's wealth had made him bitter. Oh what a dangerous word, and a dangerous place for us to live. We can give everything up, pay the ultimate price to follow the Lord but we will be on the outside longing to get in as long as we hold on to bitterness. The crazy thing about bitterness is it allows us to control something. As long as we are trying to control something in our lives God cannot.

When you get to that point that nothing else matters, houses or planes or cars or money, check your heart: you might find a couple things lurking around in there that you didn't realize. I'd hate for you to gain the world and loose your soul on account of something so crappy as bitterness.

Created over 2 years ago