Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity." And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."
It didn't take long for Sin in the form of greed to raise its ugly head. A sin that is with us today enshrined as simony. But the critical part of this account is that Peter went directly to the heart of the matter, "your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore…" However, Simon did not repent; there was no seeking transformation, he put the burden of Peter to pray for him.
Betty and I continuously pray for our children and grandchildren, that they will draw closer to the Lord, but we cannot repent for them. They need to confess and repent individually. We pray for any who have not taken this step and that those who have will daily draw closer to Him.
Today's readings in the Psalms:
Morning: Psalm 72
Mid-day: 119:9-16
Evening: Psalm 148
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"Voices Together" is available as an annual daily devotional and can be purchased at theFellowship Of Ailbe bookstore. A weekly edition, formatted as a bi-fold insert and suitable for distribution can be downloaded at https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/52-general-downloads. The next edition is available by Thursday of the prior week.
