Simon starts off as… a pretty bad guy.
He had all of Samaria looking towards him as a “great one” through his use of sorcery and persuasion.
But then the great missionary Philip came to town.
And Simon believed and was baptized!
He experienced true conversion and changed his ways.
Then Peter and John came to town, hearing of Philip’s success!
They started to give the gift of the Holy Ghost to all the people that Philip had already baptized.
And what did Simon do when he saw these apostles of the Lord bestowing the gift of the Holy Ghost on others?!
It makes me laugh a bit, honestly.
“He offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power” (Acts 8:18-19).
Simon deferred to his old ways of looking at money as a bargaining tool for power.
It’s a fairly common question posed in the church to consider if we value the gospel/Book of Mormon/our testimony more than money.
But I actually really love Simon’s gut response here!
(Don’t worry, he gets chastised by Peter and has a further change of heart.)
Simon sees this gift of the Holy Ghost and he KNOWS how important that power is.
I imagine he can see the change in the people who have it.
Are we living our lives in such a way that we are depending on the Holy Ghost for constant nourishment, guidance, and peace?
Could someone intimately look at your life and jump forward, offering money, to have that same gift in theirs?
I think it’s a beautiful question to consider.
“Covenant keeping leads us to seek after whatever invites the influence of the Spirit.” —Milton Camargo
If you’re like me, you aren’t perfect at that total dependence yet.
But how can I INCREASE that dependence on the spirit? Every day?
Not waiting in indecision, waiting for the Spirit to “command in all things”.
But instead having a constant and living connection with the Godhead, being prepared to be be guided if we need to be, and always seeking comfort and peace.
THAT’S the power that Simon, somewhat naively, but definitely sincerely, offered money for the chance to have.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
4 Responses
I depend on the spirit to help me express my love and support to those around me and to fill my mouth with the words I need to say to those that need extra encouragement.
Love this, thank you!
Thank You Cali! Your thoughtful questions and insights help me think more deeply about the people and their thoughts and actions and how it relates to me as I work on staying in the covenant path and in paying attention to how and what I am doing to progress.
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