Fatalities and God's Mercy

My quiet time today was in Acts 5:1-12 and I mulled over the story of Ananias and Saphira:
"Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.
Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?" "Yes," she said, "that is the price." Peter said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also." At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events."

At first glance, I struggled alot with this story: "Why so harsh God? Surely you didn't have to kill these two it doesn't seem fair" or thoughts like that. . but when I really get down to it, it's the FEAR I feel toward this story that bugs me. "Have I ever been dishonest with God?" The answer alarmingly over the course of my life is yes. I've often quickly decided my own will and made it God's for my life. I've often lied but just a little bit, to get my way, then not claimed that as sin. I've often as Ananias & Saph. did, have been greedy and 'kept back' my own money, time, etc. and yet claimed not to in front of others and God. It was surely not wrong for Ananias to keep part of it, but his decision to be dishonest about keeping it, that was his fatal sin. How are we in honesty before God? As the Acts church was forming it seems very plausible that God used this tragic couple to "set an example" to remind them/us to fear him and to dissuade a pattern of dishonesty from developing in the area of giving. Let us take away a renewed reverence to fear God and remember that all sin is fatal! May we be willing to continually seek out and confess/surrender away areas in our lives of dishonesty so that he not use us "to set an example"! Praise God with awe, reverence, and in gratitude for sparing us the full consequences of our sin! Amen.