But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 5:1-2

I was thinking about the call to surrender all as Christians, and this Scripture came to mind. They sold a possession. They kept some of what they got for it. The rest they sacrificed and gave in service to God. They die for lying about it, in their exaggerating to try to look godly and win approval.

We can contrast that with this Scripture.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Matthew 13:45-46

The merchant sells all because what he was going to get was worth it.

Ananias and Sapphira thought there was more value in the money than in what they would get for sacrificing it. They didn’t value their heavenly treasure more than their earthly treasure.

Do you consider the life of Christ worth giving your life up for? Is the exchange worth it?

People want to come to God with a BUT NOT…

There is infinitely more value in the life of Christ than in your life of self-pleasing. It’s a no-brainer. Don’t be deceived into thinking that anything of this world in which you take pleasure is remotely better than the pleasure of intimacy with God, oneness with Christ, a life in His presence where there is fullness of joy.

Don’t hold onto this world, this life. You will lose it and you’ll be losing eternally more with it.

Surrender all to God. There is freedom in being able to say, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,” when it doesn’t matter what comes as long as you know you have Him.

Christ is enough. God’s grace is abundantly more sufficient than any need. You will lack no good thing. You will have everything. God is all. How could you want more? There’s nothing more to desire outside of Him.