Acts 10:1 - 4
 1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. 2He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 3One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, "Cornelius!"  4Cornelius 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.
 
More and more I am convinced that in order to be faithful in our devotional life, we have to be intentional about it. I believe if we are going to hear the words, "well done, good and faithful servant" from the Master, we have to deny ourselves and keep a devotional life even when it feels difficult.  Cornelius, we are told: - a) prayed regularly. b) gave alms generously, and c) led his family spiritually. 
 
I am sure one of the things that made Cornelius faithful before God is that he feared God.
The reverential fear of God will motivate us to walk faithfully before Him. When we look at our world today, we see that the fear of God is lacking. Thus, people are doing whatever is in their heart to do because they are unaware that they will give an account before God for their actions. The bible tells us that wisdom begins with the fear of God. And because Cornelius was faithful, we are told that his regular prayers broke through and God answered by sending an angel to set in motion the opportunity for him to hear the gospel.  His prayers and giving got God's attention.
 
Rev. 8 tells us that our worship and prayers are like incense before God. The sense of smell can cause events that are long forgotten to be vividly remembered. An important question we need to ask ourselves is:  How often is our perfume in heaven? Can we be indentified in heaven? Does God smell the savor of our intercession daily or once in a long while? I believe that God remembered Cornelius' because "he prayed to God regularly."   Let us fill heaven with the unique perfume of our intercession and thus move Him to cause angelic forces to act on our behalf. Amen.