October 1, 2009 - Acts 10:4b

“The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.’” Acts 10:4b.
Cornelius, the Roman Centurion, was praying when suddenly an angel appeared to him. The sudden appearance of an angel was frightening to Cornelius, even though as a soldier, he was afraid of nothing. The angel had the attention of this God-fearing man. And yet, his message to Cornelius must have been comforting to him, for the angel told him that God had heard his prayers and seen his acts of kindness to the poor.
At first, I was a bit confused by this verse. I thought that perhaps Cornelius was doing good things – praying and giving to the poor – to somehow earn God’s good favor. But the more I reflected on this, I saw that Cornelius was already a God-fearing man, and had no need to prove his worthiness to God. Instead, it seems that he connected to God as best he could through prayer, and the natural response to this connection was with acts of kindness and service – to give to the poor. It was out of gratitude to God that Cornelius did the works of kindness. And God noticed!
When I first started serving the Lord, it seemed to be more about me and my convenience and security rather than being about those whom I was serving. God convicted my soul about this, and I realized that it had nothing really to do with me. I was only a vehicle for God’s love and acceptance to flow to others. I had to, and still do have to at times, get over my own stuff in order to serve. And, I try not to serve in order to prove my “worthiness” to God, but rather, to serve out of gratitude for what He has done for me.
Questions to consider: When you are challenged to serve in some way, what is usually your first response? Why do you suppose that is? Do you feel that you are sometimes trying to prove your worthiness to God, or do you serve out of gratitude for all that He has done for you?
Prayer: Father, thank You for all that You have done for me and for all people, especially in giving us Your Son to die in our place. I know that there is nothing I can do to prove my worthiness to You – if I did, that would negate all that Jesus did in dying for me. Please help me to accept Your grace and mercy in my life and help me to live my life out of gratitude. Amen.