This post is Day 21 in a series of studies about “Gifts & Giving”. I strongly suggest you begin with the introduction to this study, please click here to read it.

Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts about each verse and how you will be acting on each thought. Also, if you haven’t yet signed up to receive the notifications of new studies, you can do that today (the form is at the bottom of the page).

Gifts & Giving – Day 21

This verse is a good reminder that God sees what we give. Cornelius was a God-fearing man even though he did not really know the God he served. Many people all over the world are like that. They know there is something, or someone out there, they talk to Him.

Acts 10:4

Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.

The Thought

This verse is a good follow on to our thoughts yesterday. A reminder that God sees what we give. Cornelius was a God-fearing man even though he didn’t really know the God he served. Many people all over the world are like that. They know there is something, or someone out there, they talk to Him, but can’t give Him a name.

But the God who is all-knowing and all-seeing saw every gift and heard every prayer that Cornelius had offered, and He responded by sending first Peter to explain things and second Holy Spirit to bless and empower the gathering.

This story takes the whole of the chapter and is worth reading in its entirety. Take time to do that today.

Note the finer details that God took care of: the angelic visit to Cornelius and the details the angel gave in telling Cornelius exactly where Peter could be found. Think about the dream God gave to Peter, his reaction in the dream showing a wrong belief that he had about other people being unclean.

Ask yourself if you have a similar attitude to others from a different stream of christianity. How do you react to others from a different country, different social standing, different ethnic background??

Action

Note the end of the story (verses 44-48), Peter didn’t ask for Holy Spirit to come, He just came, before Peter had got to the end of his message!! Don’t you sometimes wish that would happen in your church group?

Note also that the listeners were baptised very quickly after their conversion! No long theological training course for them. Their conversion was sealed the day it happened.

Imagine the changes in the family of Cornelius that day!