June 22 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

This early death penalty for a lie in the Christian community must serve as a lasting deterrent: we who live by God's grace, who form the temple of the Holy One, must not carry anything unclean into God's presence. The Spirit guards the temple that was cleansed by grace.

The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was of minor proportions, as we measure sin. It was not greed. They made a big donation (which they didn't have to do), but they made it look bigger than it really was. They lied and thereby detracted from the honor of God. Husband and wife both agreed to the deed. Although Sapphira had a separate chance to confess, she stuck to her husband in sin and shared his punishment.

We must love the truth more than our wives or husbands or anyone else. There are moments when one person has to say to the other: "No, honey, we can't do that."

Too many are more loyal to a person they love than to the truth. The law recognizes this—that's why husbands and wives are disqualified as witnesses in court in a case that involves either one of them. They would protect each other anyway.

Children learn that too. When the telephone rings and Dad says, *If that's Mr. Jones, I'm not home," junior will say, "Sorry, Mr. Jones, my dad is not home." He is loyal to his dad. Together they lie.

God wants us to be more faithful to the truth than to bonds of family or friendship. If you really love your family or friends, you will do all you can to keep them from sinning.

We should have so much love for each other that we can muster the courage to keep each other from sinning.

For the sake of keeping peace, some have conspired to "test the Spirit of the Lord." Don't do it! It's better to risk a fight in the family than a battle with God.

REFLECTIONS

What happens in our relationships if we put ties with family or friends before the truth?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.