Daily Devotionals

Escaping Ordinary Week 10: Monday

"Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel. And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!" Acts 10:4

When Jesus came, His message spread primarily among Jewish people in Israel at first. After all, He was the long-awaited Messiah the Israelites had been waiting for. His ministry, however, was not just for Jewish people. Jesus made it clear that His message was for all people, including Jews and Gentiles or non-Jewish people. He came to save everyone. 

Acts 10 tells us about a man named Cornelius. He was a Roman army officer who lived in Caesarea. Luke, the author of the book of Acts, describes him as a "God-fearing man" who "gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God" (verse 2). God heard his prayers. One day God gave Cornelius a vision of an angel coming toward him. The angel said to him, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore" (verses 4-6). When the angel left, Cornelius sent two servants to find Peter. Do not miss this beautiful moment in Scripture. God saw this Gentile man and his desire to know Him and grow in his relationship with Him. It is His desire for every person to know Him and have a deep, growing relationship with Him. God sees all those honestly searching for Him. 

Friends, God sees every person. He wants everyone to come to Him. Because of this, He goes to great lengths to have a relationship with us. This truth, my friends, is the greatest gift we could ever receive. The God of the universe, the God of all creation, wants to have a relationship with you and goes to great lengths to pursue you. May you marvel at His goodness to you today.

Moving toward action

Take a few minutes to remember how God pursued your heart when you began to follow Him. Then, reflect on your two-minute story of when you placed your faith in Christ by writing it down or practicing sharing it. After taking time to reflect on your story, pray. Thank God for how He has worked and continues to work to capture your heart.

Going Deeper

Acts 10:1-8 (NLT)

"In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. 2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God. 3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.

4 Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel.

And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering! 5 Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”

7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants. 8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa."