Not of Our Own Power

Today's Verses -- Acts 8:17-24
17Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."
24Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me." (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

When you first heard about Christ, did you make any rash comments or wrong assumptions about religion? Simon really missed the point here, but I still felt sorry for him the first time I read this. After all, he saw something that he wanted and he was willing to pay anything to get it. And boy, did Peter ream him!

It is really hard to understand the fact that salvation is free. God doesn't require us to pay large sums of money to buy our forgiveness (and some religions actually offer this with a payment plan!). He doesn't request that we spend 40 hours each week in a job that forces us to serve others. We don't even have a daily quota of Bible chapters to read. We are no more saved if we sell all we have and give it to the poor than we are if we don't tithe or read the Bible.

Yet, somehow, when we truly look to Christ as an example for our lives, we want to give, read, pray, and serve. And when new Christians see the faithful doing these things, they might think that the actions are requirements for walking through those pearly gates.

If you, like Peter, see someone who is struggling to attain salvation based on his or her own capabilities, help them understand the Good News that it has already been granted through Christ's sacrifice and God's grace.

But please, be a little more gentle than Peter was!