The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 762
The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 762
Today’s Kick Start! –(NKJV) Jeremiah 29 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Personal Obedience—Walk in the Spirit and you will not carry out the deeds of the flesh.
Acts 10 1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. 6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” 7 And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. 8 So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.
JESUS CHRIST: He IS the same Yesterday, He IS the same Today, He IS God Forever!
God opens wide the door of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, chapter 10 of the Acts of the Apostles reveals the critical mandate for the disciples of God to follow the command to ‘Go into all of the world. Acts 17-8 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
There are multitudes of people in the world around us who are God conscious, who do not necessarily go to a church or to a religious center. These folks KNOW that God exists and they have very a strong desire to give of themselves and their substance to people. They do these things because they seek to please the God whom they do not know personally. They simply know of Him and believe that by praying and giving, that they and their family will be blest of God. Many of these folks have a human character that outshines those of us who are ‘born again’.
Pride and self-esteem sometimes overrun people like Cornelius who is a powerful military commander. He has a family that is dedicated to him and they follow in his footsteps—Proverbs 22 6Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. God inspects the hearts of all people. He sees the motives of all of us and He ponders our path—Proverbs 5 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He ponders all his paths.
We cannot provide in our own strength a method of love (abundant life) that will please God, God provides to us His love first, by the offering to us His Son’s life. An offering of love from Him, in that we have the wonderful opportunity to receive on His terms—not ours. Romans 5 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. His coming to us first, provides an abundant life of His love in us! do you have this abundant life? In closing for today please read John 10 1-11. As we will see, Cornelius and his family receives God on His terms.
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