MORNING DEVOTION- "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)
Scripture Reading: Acts 10:1-48
In our devotion time yesterday we read about Saul who had set his course to destroy those who walked in the Way of Jesus Christ, but a divine encounter with Jesus Christ Himself stopped Saul dead in his tracks and changed his course, and the course of all mankind forever, for the glory of God. Saul the persecutor had become Paul the preacher, the man chosen to carry God's message to the Gentiles. However, there was one man who had been given the keys of the kingdom of heaven (reference Matthew 16:19), and he would unlock the door for the Gentiles to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ. Peter would be the one to break down the wall that separated the Jew from the Gentile (reference Ephesians 2:14-16) and open the way for Paul to carry on the ministry to the Gentiles.
As we journey through the book of Acts we have met men and women who were religiously devoted to God, but were not saved (you could say they were "so close, but yet so far away"); until God brought His disciples to lead them the rest of the way home. Today, we meet Cornelius, who was a centurion in the Roman army. He was part of a class of religious people who were not full converts to Judaism ("God-fearers"), but who "respected the moral and ethical teachings of the Jews." He was a devote man who prayed and gave generously to the Jewish people (reference Acts 10:2). One afternoon, during the appointed hour of prayer, Cornelius had a vision and an angel of God spoke to him: "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God" (v.4b). Cornelius was seeking salvation and he brought a sacrifice of prayer to the Lord, and the Lord received his offering and sent him a message that the answer he sought was not far away. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:17).
About thirty miles away, in the town of Joppa, Peter was praying on a rooftop, when he also received a vision from God. "He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat" (Acts 10:11-13). Peter was hungry and wanted something to eat, but these animals were impure and forbidden to be eaten by the law, so he refused. Again the voice spoke to him, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean" (v.15b). The voice spoke again and then the object was gone. Before Peter had barely enough time to contemplate the vision three men showed up to tell him that Cornelius had sent for him. The Holy Spirit had prepared him by telling him, "Behold, three men are seeking you..." (v. 19). Cornelius responded with faith by sending the messengers to find Peter, and he demonstrated his faith by gathering a group of people together in his home while he waited for the answer to arrive. He had heard from God and was already doing the work of an evangelist. When Peter arrived he told them: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right..." (v.34-35); Peter was not even able to finish his message before "the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message" (v.44). Cornelius sought the Lord in prayer, Peter responded with obedience, and Cornelius and his entire household received the message and were saved. "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). This would be the commission carried by every faithful servant of Christ from this point forward to bring the gospel message to "the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
Heavenly Father,
Even as I'm praying You are constantly
bringing to mind people I need to pray for.
You hear their cries and have burdened
my heart to intercede for them until Your answer comes.
Help me to be faithful in prayer, but also
obedient to respond when you call me to also
stand by their side.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Peter had to let go of thousands of years of tradition to be able to unlock the door for the message of salvation to be brought to the Gentiles. The "new" covenant of love fulfilled the "old" covenant law, and the hearts of all men would be open and have an opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior. Peter, by his obedience, preserved the promise given through Abraham (reference Genesis 17:3-8), who himself had believed by faith (reference Genesis 15:6); and carried forward the tradition that men would come to salvation by expressing faith in Jesus Christ. "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized unto Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:26-28). May we pray that we will be ready when the call comes to respond immediately to every opportunity the Lord places in our path to share Christ, in word and deed, trusting that God has already prepared the way for us to intercede and help those who are waiting to receive the help and healing we have to give.
It was divine providence that the first Gentile convert was a Roman centurion. Our Lord, who came as a humble and gentle Lamb to save us, will one day return as our Mighty Warrior-Messiah-King (reference Revelation 19:11-17). While we wait for the glorious culmination of His Kingdom, He is at work today building up His army of faithful followers who will carry His banner high and lead the charge to bring the world into His glorious Light. When Jesus walked the earth the people cried out for Him to establish His kingdom and save them from Roman oppression (reference Matthew 21:9; Luke 19:11). But His kingdom is not of this world; His is a spiritual kingdom, and He came to save His people from a greater oppression that keeps all men in bondage - sin. Jesus had a plan all along to bring down the Roman rule; however, as we discussed in yesterday's devotion, His ways are supremely higher than ours - He first goes after the heart and transforms the people from within. By saving Cornelius, His work was begun. "I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people" (Jeremiah 31:33b).
The enemy may thinks he has an inside advantage to stop God's kingdom building plans, but it is the Spirit of God who has access to the deep recesses of the heart and will of man; it is here, in the human heart, that the Lord does His greatest work. "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19). The enemy works relentlessly every day to devour and destroy the Lord's faithful warriors; distracting them and causing discouragement and doubt. It is vitally important that we not neglect putting on our spiritual armor each day so that we can "take [our] stand against the devil's schemes" (Ephesians 6:11). Any piece we neglect to take up or put on we risk exposing a vital organ to the enemy - without the "belt of truth" we get tangled in the lies of the enemy and find it difficult to resist temptation; without the "breastplate of righteousness" our heart becomes a target and we end up breathing in the poison of the enemy instead of breathing God's love in and then out upon the world; without our feet fitted with "the gospel of peace" we get tripped up in our anger and find we have lost our firm footing; without the "shield of faith" we are defenseless against the enemy's flaming arrows of deception; without the "helmet of salvation" firmly covering our minds and reminding us we are Christ's, the enemy gains access to this critical battlefield; and without our "sword of the spirit" - the Word of God - we leave ourselves defenseless, and unable to resist the devil, rather than confidently and aggressively advancing God's kingdom. Our defenses become weakened and less sensitive when we become too busy and too distracted to take the time necessary to adequately prepare ourselves in the Word and prayer each day. The entire Body suffers when each part doesn't take responsibility for it's own health and growth; and the kingdom building process is hindered. We must take our stand, fully clothed in the armor of God, and in Christ, and activate His protective equipment with prayer; and then move boldly forward guarding the faith and carrying the message to those on the other side of the battle line who are not our enemies to begin with. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (v.12).
Heavenly Father,
Guard my heart and mind today
and prepare me for battle;
recognizing that the people You have placed
in my path are the ones You want me to
reach for Your kingdom and not to
war against as enemies.
Help me to do my battles on my knees
as I seek Your protection for
all the saints as they also take up their
positions on the battlefield today.
"For though we walk in the flesh,
we do not war according to the flesh.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal
but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
casting down arguments and every high thing
that exalts itself against the knowledge of God..."
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5a)
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
The Lord has called His followers, "the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13a). Just as salt is used as a preservative and an additive for flavor, we as Christians are called to preserve and protect the gospel message from being harmed, and to maintain that message so it can be carried forward, while at the same time adding flavor to this tasteless world. "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him" (Psalm 34:8). In Roman times, salt was a very valuable resource. Soldiers would actually receive salt as part of their pay ("salt money") - the original language for the word salt ("solarium argentum") translates into our English word "salary." In God's economy love is the most valuable resource - we can never out give God - no matter how much love we pour out on others we always find ourselves with an ample supply. Jesus nailed our sin-debt to the cross and stamped it in His blood, "Paid in full!" In addition, the Lord credited to our account His righteousness. We have received compensation over and above the call of duty, long before our work even began. May we pour all that we have and all that we are back into His kingdom recognizing that there is no greater investment of our time, talents, or money. Pray this afternoon for all believers that we would all take up our positions on the battlefield, keep watch in prayer, and continue the work we have been called to do. "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel...Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should" (Ephesians 6:19-20).
EVENING MEDITATION -"...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2)
Prayer Focus: Our Military
Cornelius was a trained soldier who was taught to obey the commands he was given. When the Lord came to him with instructions, Cornelius did what was second nature to him, he obeyed. Today, we can learn a lesson from this man of faith as we continue to grow in our understanding of the power of prayer, and actively engage in prayer for the glory of God and His kingdom. We, too, must be willing to obey at a moments notice. Whenever God burdens our heart to pray for someone, we should stop what we are doing and pray. Whenever someone asks for prayer, we should take time in that moment to pray. Whenever we hear God's voice pointing us in a certain direction, we should obey His voice and follow Him where He leads. The more time we seek the Lord in His Word, and spend intimate time with Him in prayer, the more prepared we will be to discern His voice and obey when He calls.
This evening, as we reflect on our study of Peter and the centurion, let us consider our own military and lift them up in prayer. Pray for the branches of our military: Marine Corps, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Reserves. Pray also for our leadership (regardless of how you may feel): the Commander-in-Chief, Secretary of Defense, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Pray for all our service men and women who are serving both at home and abroad. Pray for their success and safe return home. Pray particularly for their safety and protection as they bravely offer their lives to preserve our freedoms and to fight for the freedoms of other war torn nations. Pray for their families as they are having to spend months and sometimes years apart as they are serving out their tour of duty; and multiple tours of duty. Pray for strength, peace, courage, hope, encouragement, and the help and support their families need while they are separated. Pray that their spirits won't be broken as time and tragedy wears on them; pray they will not give into hatred in the face of the daily challenges of war; pray against loneliness. Pray for military chaplains to be able to minister to the troops and for Christian chaplains to be able to speak freely and boldly of the love of Christ and to pray in Jesus' name over our troops (an increasingly difficult challenge in our military today!). Pray for Christian service men and women to boldly share their faith and to give the reason for the peace and hope they have in the face of extreme danger; even when that danger is a growing hostility towards people of faith. Pray for laws and legislation to protect our military against the growing hostility towards religion (they are being prevented from praying before meals; memorials with crosses are being ordered to be torn down; Chaplains are being dismissed from their positions because they pray in Jesus name and quote Bible verses; Military briefings identify evangelical Christians as "domestic hate groups" and pose a national threat; military personnel and chaplains are being punished and rebuked for expressing their biblical views on marriage (these are just a few of the countless lawsuits and threats to the Religious Liberty of our military. You can find more information on these and other cases at www.LibertyInstitute.org and learn what you can do to help defend the Religious Liberty of our heroes)). Pray for the resolve of our Christian military as they face intense persecution and hostility from those who are supposed to protect and support their rights as they give their lives to protect ours. Pray for military leaders to strengthen and encourage their troops, and not hinder their ability to perform their duty because of differences in beliefs. Pray for our national security, and for wisdom and success in the ever-increasing battle against terrorism (see Islamic extremists (ISIS)); and for a greater awareness among all people of the growing Islamic presence and purpose within our country (see www.actforamerica.org).
Practical things you can do as you commit to praying for our Military: Find out about groups within your church who put together care packages (Rapid Deployment Kits) to send to our service men and women who are serving abroad and have your family participate with them. Or start a care package campaign with your children's ministry at your church or with your child's class at school. Have the children write letters of encouragement to our troops. Find out who the military families are within your church and commit to praying for them and ministering to the needs of their spouse and children. Send pocket-size Bibles to our troops. Consider giving a donation to ministries who send out recorded sermons on radios to our troops (see www.intouch.org and the "In Touch Messenger"). Pray for ministries that minister to military families like Campus Crusade for Christ and Navigators and many others. Pray Psalm 91 daily for our service men and women. "There are only two creatures of value on the face of the earth: those with the commitment, and those who require the commitment of others" - John Adams. Let us pray a prayer of gratitude for our founding fathers who "with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, mutually pledged to each other [their] Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor" and for the thousands of fighting men and women who have carried that commitment forward for the preservation of this nation and protection of its' people and our freedoms. And may we, as prayer warriors, commit to pray without ceasing for the many people of our nation who are dependent upon our prayers
Heavenly Father,
Give our military men and women courage in the face of danger,
whether home or abroad.
May they make You, the Most High, their dwelling
and refuge. May they rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Let no harm befall them and no disaster come near their tent.
Command Your angels to guard them in all their ways.
Protect them, rescue them; surround them as a shield.
Be with them in trouble, deliver them and bring them home.
"Your troops will be willing on Your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy majesty,
from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of Your youth."
