In Acts 10:1 we meet Cornelius. Cornelius was considered a religious man, a family man who spent time in prayer and gave to the poor. The Bible records he was a devout man, still he was not in a covenant relationship with Christ. Even though Cornelius was not in a relationship with Christ under the new covenant, God still noticed his prayers and his giving to the point that He sent an angel to meet with him and provide something for Cornelius he never knew he needed.
In verse 4 we read the prayers of Cornelius and his giving was seen as a memorial to God. I put special emphasis on the word and because I believe it is viewed by Heaven as a single unit of devotion. The devotion to both areas of his faithfulness to God caused God to show up in his life to provide a very tangible result!
The angel sent by God was to provide direction for Cornelius’ journey into the next phase of his life. The angel did not lead him to Christ, he ordered his steps. God used a man, Peter, to save Cornelius.
Now Peter almost got hung up by the changing in the way the gospel was delivered (v.14-15). He refused and initially told the Lord “no”, based on the tradition of the law that he was familiar with. The gospel of Christ had not been shared with the Gentiles up to this point. Think about it, God was asking Peter to step out and do something that no one else had done. It was this step that would change Peter and the church forever!
Peter trusted the Lord and followed the direction he received in prayer. This one step of obedience would bring change to the way the gospel would be preached by bringing it to the Gentiles!
No matter which one you are today (Cornelius or Peter), the key ingredient is devotion to God in prayer and giving. If you are doing these things in addition to reading the word, God will guide your steps and when you follow, He will take you to a new place of great reward.
Because we are all on a journey, I encourage you to get this special teaching I put together for you entitled “Not So Lord”. Whether you need God to direct your steps for the next phase of your faith walk or you need God to guide you on how to shape the world around you, I know you will be blessed by this teaching.
Remember God sees prayer and giving as a single unit, start living this out and I believe God will show up in your life and give you directions for your best days ahead. God bless you!
Living in Grace and Peace,
Bishop Derek Grier
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