Are you Drop Dead or Proudly Possessing...Originally posted on Dawn's Dialogue (April 4th, 2012)

National US Marine Museum Vietnam Exhibit

Are you Drop Dead or Proudly Possessing? Say What?  As always, this blogger has question? Now, let’s have a story…Who doesn’t love a good story?

There once was a man named Ananias. He and his wife, Sapphira hatched a plan.

“Sapphira dear, let’s sell this piece of our property? But, we will keep a portion of the proceeds hidden for ourselves. I shall take the rest and lay it at the apostle’s feet.”

Sapphira sweetly replies, “Ok Ananias. Whatever you want, my adoring husband?”

Boy, I wouldn’t see it playing out that way in my home. But, that is another story for another day. Here is a little background for you. In Acts 4, people started selling their possessions and laying proceeds at the apostle’s feet. Therefore, this couple decided to do as the others in their community and sell a piece of their property. Yet, they also decided (yes ladies, they decided together) to hold back a portion of the proceeds and to lay the rest at the apostle’s feet.  (Go check the full story out in Acts 5)

Here is where things get interesting:

Upon laying this decided amount at the apostle’s feet,

Peter says, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds from the land…you have not lied to men but to God?”

After hearing these words, Ananias fell down & died!

His wife, Sapphira comes looking for him (my ESV version says after about 3 hours). 

Here is how it goes down for her:

“And Peter said to her, Tell me whether you sold the land for so much money.”

Sapphira responds, “Yes, for so much.”

But Peter says to her, “How is that you have agreed together (see ladies, TOGETHER) to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

Sapphira stays true to her and Ananias’ plan, the result she’s dead too!

There are so many questions that swirl around in my head upon reading this but I will not bore you with them today. Instead, let’s look at what God gave me during my reading of this portion of scripture:

There are two types of people:

1.    Drop Dead

2.    Proudly Possessing

It never says, how much Ananias & Sapphira conspired to hold back. We need to come to the realization that if we hold anything back, even the tiniest portion it is a bad thing. It didn’t matter if Ananias had held back 1% or 90% the result would have been the same. Why? Because the action of holding back wasn’t their sin, their sin was in thinking they could hide it. Hence, DROP DEAD!

Does this mean we can hold back and it is okay as long as we don’t try to hide it? Uh…. No! 

When we walk around saying, “God knows that I struggle with letting go of my children, husband, insert whatever you fight God over” does not mean that we are okay because we are not being Ananias or Sapphira and attempting to hide it.

This is PROUDLY POSSESSING.  It is like false humility. Neither of them is good for us.

Proudly Possessing keeps God from having full reign in our lives. People who are proudly possessing are some of the same ones who cry that they don’t see God working through them like their friends.

So, we have come back to our original question:

Are you Drop Dead or Proudly Possessing?

***All pictures on this blog unless otherwise stated belong to Dew Photography***

Lessons in Enoch...Part Two

Cosner Corner Sunset Fredericksburg, VA

Photo Credit: Dawn Whitmore

Dew Photography

Upon researching Enoch, for my last blog, I learned the following things about Enoch. There are two referred to in Genesis. One was born to Cain in Genesis 4 (yep the one that killed his brother, Abel), he even named a city after his Enoch. However, he is not the one referred to in Hebrews. 

We find 'our' Enoch referred to in Hebrews in Genesis 5:18-24. 'Our' Enoch is also in the lineage of Adam but is a descendant of Adam’s son, Seth.

There are some things to note in Enoch’s life:

• ·      Enoch was born when his father was 162 years old and we thought Abraham was old when Isaac was born.
•       Enoch’s father lived another 800 years after Enoch was born. He died at the ripe age of 962.
• ·      Enoch had his first child Methuselah at the early biblical age (at least for this time period) of 65 years old.
•  Enoch walked with God for 300 years after fathering Methuselah.
•    At the age of 365, Enoch went for a walk with God and was no more.

 When 'our' Enoch was "taken away", as Hebrews describes, Enoch’s father was 527 years old. He didn’t die until he was 962 years old. Therefore, he lived another 435 years knowing that his son had been "taken away’". We aren’t told anything else…at least not that I can find. Can you imagine living another 435 years after such an event? Enoch’s son, Methuselah took after his granddad and lived to the ripe old age of 969. Methuselah had his Dad for 300 years and then lived another 669 years after his Dad was "taken away".  

All of this is intriguing to me; we consistently see the devastation that people live through each day in the news after a loved one disappears. Which is what happened to Enoch, he basically disappeared. 

It makes me wonder how did his family cope? The Scripture doesn’t reveal in Genesis 5 how they coped. Genesis 5 only shows that life went on by revealing more lineages. Don’t misunderstand me; I am not saying that people should forget their loved ones. I am only stating what is seen in Chapter 5 of Genesis. Furthermore, I firmly believe that Enoch’s family did not forget him. Enoch’s appearance in Hebrew’s Hall of Fame of Faith is definite proof that God did not forget Enoch.

Do you feel like God has forgotten you today? 

James 2:14-26...Sunday,March 13th, 2011...

Question: Is merely knowing something as good actually the same as changing one's attitudes and behaviors to fit with what we know?

Answer: Simply NO...

Isn't knowing that one struggles with admitting to wrong-doing just as good as admitting to the wrong-doing when it occurs. And furthermore, taking the necessary steps to preventing it from reoccurring?

This is no different than you and I declaring we are God's beloved child and our only source of life and then living our life as if it were NOT TRUE.

Vv 14-17: Please notice the problem was not the poorly dressed and hungry person being ignored. The problem is thinking mere words were an adequate substitute for feeding and clothing the brother or sister.


Question: Where did this pattern of thought come from? Do we ever act this way? 


Answer: Yes and an example is when we quickly spout off "I'll pray for ya!" We at times think saying such things is an adequate substitute for spending time and listening to the person.


James is saying here that when we spout "We Trust God" but never act (work) on the basis of that faith; we are no different than those telling his brother or sister, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled."


Vv 18-26: Faith without works is dead


Question: What do you think about this statement:
           'You can't have works, which glorify God without faith just as you can't have faith in God without works.'


What about this statement:
           'You can't show faith apart from your works because they are integrally related to each other.' 


***I personally believe works (acts) are an overflow of one's faith***


Do we fully realize how we live in the midst of circumstances and trials and how we receive God's peace in the midst of troubling times reveals not only to ourselves; but also others our trust in God?


Works should be based on our love for God not in an attempt to win brownie points with God.


Verse 19 shows that to merely believe God exists is no big feat. The demons believe and shudder!!! For us to walk in this belief would mount to emptiness, fruitlessness, and would be meaningless.


Abraham and Rahab show that faith was the root of their righteous actions.
A pastor once told me that struggles meant growth. One of our lesson writers reiterated this same concept in the following way:
             "Faith is not static it must be lived out for us to grow."

James want us to see that we are saved by faith alone (Paul says this) but faith was never meant to remain alone. It is meant to be active. On the other hand, remember works (acts) without faith are empty, which leads to legalism.

Sunday, March 20th we will begin Chapter 3.