"...Keeping up with the Joneses." We're all familiar with the feeling of pressure that comes when someone we know gets a new house/car/haircut/dog/whatever. :) We're living in a society that says we "are" what we drive/eat/wear/etc. Additionally, we're expected to be at the forefront of all these trends or we are Undesirable. Unworthy. Unacceptable. Don't you just feel exhausted when you think of trying to live up to those kinds of expectations?!! Members of the early church found their identity in Christ and in community with one another. Read Acts 4:32-35. "There were no needy persons among them," because "they shared everything they had." Wow. These Christians viewed possessions as tools, not status symbols. "Lord, take what I've got and use it to meet the needs of those around me!" How many of us pray like that? Their generosity resulted in ALL the needs around them being met. (Again: wow.) Now, read the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. Mull this one over: What might have motivated Sapphira to agree to lie about the sale price of their property when they donated it (the profit) to the church?