Led by the Heart Given by the Lord

 

Led by the Heart Given by the Lord

“Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” (Acts 5:3)
By Pastor Park Ock Soo (Good News Gangnam Church)

In Acts chapter 5, we find the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Ananias sold a piece of property but secretly kept back part of the money, lying that the rest was the full amount. As a result, he fell down dead on the spot. His wife, Sapphira, told the same lie and likewise died immediately.

---

Two kinds of thoughts work in everyone

Every person has experienced being led by the Holy Spirit with a heart that desires to serve the Lord, and also being tempted and led by the evil spirit. Ananias and Sapphira had the desire to sell their land and offer it to God, but Satan planted another thought in their hearts:

“If we give all the money from the sale, what will we do if we run into trouble later?”

After thinking it over, they decided not to give it all. They secretly kept part of the money and pretended the rest was the whole amount. Because of that, both of them lost their lives.

This mistake is not unique to Ananias and Sapphira—any saved person can make the same error. When our hearts are filled with the Lord’s grace, we may feel, “Even if I give up all my possessions for the Lord, it’s not a loss.” But sometimes we start considering other things—we have to pay for our children’s education, and there are many necessities in life. Then we begin to think, “I can’t give this to God right now.”

These two kinds of thoughts—one from the Spirit and one from the flesh—work in every person. They may both sound reasonable, but in truth, only one leads to life. We might think that giving to the Lord means losing something, but in reality, when the Lord blesses us, we become even richer. On the other hand, withholding from Him never leads to abundance.

I have often made offerings before the Lord. Looking back, I see that whether I gave or not, my life was not worse off. Yet Satan often deceives us into hesitation at the moment of giving. Some people, like Ananias and Sapphira, fall into the desire to keep things for themselves—and this brings them great trouble.

---

Because the Lord always helps and blesses us

Throughout life, our hearts may turn toward the Lord or toward ourselves. Sometimes we think, “This money should be given to God,” but other times, “No, I need it for my living expenses.” When that happens, we waver because of our lack of faith.

For example, suppose we want to offer 5,000 yuan to God. Then a thought comes:

“But that’s my monthly living cost! How will I live this month?”

Even if that thought arises, if God shows grace, He can provide abundantly. But if God does not give, we will face difficulty anyway. At that moment, if we think, “For Jesus’ sake, I’ll endure a bit of hardship. This month, I’ll live more frugally. I won’t take the bus—I’ll just walk,” then that hardship becomes light.

But if we are unwilling to experience any difficulty, our hearts will turn toward the desires of the flesh.

There are brothers around us who live by faith. When I look at a brother who lives in a way I never expected, I am amazed: “When did he start living like that?” If that brother thought, “I should keep this money for myself,” he certainly could have done so.

In our hearts flow both the desire to live for the Lord and the desire to live for the flesh. When we choose the Lord’s side, He blesses us. But when we hesitate between the two, we often end up either hurt in spirit or ashamed before God.

In truth, giving to the Lord never makes us poor, because He continually helps and blesses us. On the other hand, withholding from Him does not make us rich. Even if one has much wealth, illness may consume it in medical expenses—such things can easily happen. Until now, I have hardly ever been hospitalized and have lived in good health. This shows that when we live for the Lord, we are truly blessed and greatly benefited.

---

Knowing that man is changeable—and living for God

It is not that some people are born generous and others are naturally stingy. If we accept the Lord’s guidance in our hearts, even offering all our possessions will not feel wasteful. But if we are led by the desires of the flesh, we become miserly and unwilling to give even a small amount. Whether we become a person who gives freely or one who clings tightly depends on which heart leads us.

God thinks of us in every way, so even if we offer everything to Him, we will never regret it. Therefore, when we understand that man’s heart is changeable and choose to offer freely and live powerfully for God, we can live a more blessed and glorious life.

被主赐予的心引领

“亚拿尼亚，为什么撒但充满了你的心，叫你欺哄圣灵，把田地的价银私自留下几份呢？”（徒5：3）

作者：朴玉洙（好消息江南教会牧师）

 

《使徒行传》5章中记载了亚拿尼亚和撒非喇的故事。亚拿尼亚卖了地，把地价私自留下几份，却撒谎说所献的银子是全部，致使横死当场。他的妻子撒非喇像丈夫一样撒谎，也同样死于现场。

 

这两种想法，会在每个人身上作工

所有人心里都有过被圣灵引导，想为主作工的时候，也都有过被恶灵怂恿、牵着走的时候。亚拿尼亚和撒非喇有了想卖地、奉献给神的心，可撒但却给了他们另一个心。“把卖地的钱都奉献了，遇到困难怎么办？”他们左思右想，觉得不能都奉献了，便把一部分价银藏起来，把剩下的说成是全部。就这样，两个人都丢了性命。

不仅仅是亚拿尼亚和撒非喇，任何一个得救的人，都可能会犯这种错误。当我们的心被主的恩典充满时，就会有“献上所有的财产也不可惜”的心。但有时，我们也会看到其他方面。我们得供孩子上学，也有这样那样要做的事情。这样一来，我们就会觉得，不能把手里的东西献给神。这两种想法会在每个人身上作工。

这两种想法看似都很有道理，但事实并非如此。我们也许会觉得，在主面前奉献多少，就会有亏损多少。可事实上，主若祝福我们，我们反而会过得更好。相反，若不奉献，也不会因此而变得丰盛。我也经常在主面前奉献。回顾以往，我能发现奉献与否，日子过得并没有什么区别。但我们被撒但欺骗，在主面前奉献时，会踌躇不决。有些人就像亚拿尼亚和撒非喇一样，陷入到想占为己有的欲望中，致使他们困难重重。

 

因为主始终帮助、祝福着我们

在生活的过程中，每个人心里可能会产生向着主的心，也可能会产生属人的心；有时会心想“这个钱我得献给神”，有时也会心想“不对，我得用做生活费”。这样一来，我们就会踌躇，要不要献给主。之所以出现这种情况，是因为我们没有信心。比如，我们很想把五千元献给神。这时，可能会上来这样的想法：“这可是一个月的生活费啊，这个月怎么生活呢？”就算有这样的想法，如果神施恩，就能赐给我们这么多钱；但如果神不给，我们就只能遇到困难。此时，我们若心想：“为了耶稣，我就受点苦吧。一个月期间，我过得紧巴一点吧。我不坐车了，徒步走路吧。”那么，这些困难就不算什么了。但若执着于不想经历困难，心就会流向为肉体着想的方向。

在我们身边，有一些凭借信心奔跑的弟兄们。看着一个从未期待过的弟兄所过的生活，我感到很惊讶：“这位弟兄是从什么时候开始这样生活的呢？”弟兄若心想“这笔钱我得留着自己花”，那他满可以那样生活。

我们心里即涌动着为主着想的心，也涌动着为肉体着想的欲望。此时，我们若为主着想，主就会赐福。可如果在两者中犹豫不决，那么多数情况下，不是心灵受伤，就是在主面前蒙羞。事实上，献给主，我们并不会因此变得贫穷。因为主始终在帮助、祝福着我们。相反，不奉献，也不会因此变得富有。就算有很多钱，但只要生了病，这些钱也得作为医疗费花掉。这种事完全有可能发生。到现在为止，我几乎没有住过院，一直健康地生活着。可见，只要我们为主生活，就能蒙到祝福，受益匪浅。

 

如果知道人很善变，且能为神生活

并非有些人天生是用心侍奉主的人，有些人天生是吝啬的人。如果我们从心里接受主的引导，那么就算献上所有的财产，也不会感到可惜。相反，如果被肉体的欲望牵引，我们就会成为吝啬的人，一点小钱也不想奉献。我们成为一毛不拔的人，还是毫不吝惜的人，取决于我们被哪种心牵引。

神在方方面面为我们着想，就算把我们的一切献给神，也不觉得可惜。因此，不管什么时候，心里都是丰盛有余的。只要我们认识到人是善变的这一事实，毫不吝惜地奉献给神，为了神有力地生活，我们就可以过上更加蒙福、荣耀的生活。