Thurs. July 31st :: Acts 5 :: Why your marriage might kill you

Ananias and Sapphira
Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also
sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back
part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the
apostles' feet.

…Peter said to her, "How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the
Lord? Listen! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the
door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down
at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead,
carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized
the whole church and all who heard about these events.

(Acts 5.1-2; 9-10)

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Two stories.

1) Notice that creation begins in a garden. In the beginning we have Adam and Eve (a husband and wife) in communion with God and each other. But something happens. The wife sins with the full knowledge of her husband. Yet out of love for her, Adam says nothing and humanity falls.

2) New creation begins in a garden also (where Jesus is resurrected). Restoration begins and the disciples live in communion with God and each other. But something happens. A husband sins with the full knowledge of his wife. Yet out of love for him, Sapphira goes along with the lie.

Here’s what I’m thinking about today with these two stories.

Tim Keller writes that sin consists primarily, not in the doing of bad things, but in the making of good things into ultimate things.

In other words, for Adam and Eve (or Ananias and Sapphira) their marriage relationships were good things. Yet in making these good things (their spouses) into ultimate things (obeying them rather than God) they wind up dead.

This may seem like a stark realization, but I’m wondering how I do the same thing in different ways. Perhaps not in my marriage, but in other areas:

Here's the question I'm asking today:

In what ways do I take a good thing and turn it into an ultimate thing?

What about you?