“It’s time for your annual checkup!” This sentence may cause a sudden sense of dread in many of us. But as much as we might hate going to the doctor, visiting once a year can help you stay healthy and uncover potential health risks. One of the things the doctor will do is get out his stethoscope, listen to the rhythm of your heart, and let you know if there are any abnormalities.
In our lives, we need more than just physical checkups. We need spiritual checkups as well—hopefully more than once a year. This kind of checkup may come in the form of a personal Bible study, a sermon that really hits home, a sudden life change, or a fellow Christian exposing the truth about your behavior. Any of these may give us pause and move us to examine our relationship with God.
In Acts 8, we read of a man that needed a heart checkup. Simon, the sorcerer, was a new convert to the church of Christ living in Samaria. Like many others in his country, he was convicted by the truth and power of the gospel. In verse 13, we see that Simon believed the gospel and was baptized in the name of Jesus and added to the church. It turned out that Simon had some ulterior motives.
Soon after Simon and the Samaritans became Christians, the apostles in Jerusalem learned that they had not yet received the Holy Spirit (v. 14-15). Only the apostles had the gift to lay hands on people and give them spiritual gifts. So, Peter and John went to them and laid hands on them.
When Simon saw the power of the laying on of hands, he sought to have the power for himself. So, “…he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit’” (v. 18b-19).
Immediately, Peter called out his blasphemy and accused him of trying to purchase the gift of God with money. How could a Christian make such a mistake? In verse 21, Peter told Simon plainly, “…for your heart is not right in the sight of God.” Though he was a Christian, Simon’s heart was still “…poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity” (v. 23).
Many Christians seem to have the love of Christ, yet their heart betrays them. They may go to every function, put plenty of cash in the collection tray, but they only do it for clout. They will seem like a good person, be admired by their friends or will feel superior to others. Brethren, our motivations matter.
Simon’s heart disqualified him from the spiritual gifts given to the Samaritans (v. 21). This needs to be a wakeup call for us. If we fail to check our hearts, we too may receive “…neither part nor portion…” of the gifts promised to us.