Be Devoted to God!

Acts 10:1-8

 “1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.”

In this day and age, with all the hustle and bustle that life has to offer, Christians, including most of us, seldom have time for God.  Cornelius is one character that challenges me, and cause me to reevaluate my relationship with God.  Often we are quick to verbalize our love for God; but are we truly devoted to God?  

Cornelius was a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort.  Usually a Roman cohort is made up of 600 men.  With such huge responsibility on his shoulder, Luke has a threefold description of his devotion to God: 
1. He feared (revered) God with all his household, 
2. He was always liberal in his many deeds of charity to the people, and 
3. He had the habit of praying to God.
He was doing the two things which rabbinical Judaism honored most—alms giving and prayer.  This man was religiously, emotionally, and socially linked to the synagogue, although he was not a full convert.  The only reason he was prohibited from entering it was that he was not circumcised, that is, he was a Gentile.  Hebrews 11:6 reads: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  Cornelius’ prayers and alms ascended as a memorial before God (vs. 4).


The nearer we come to God, the more He’ll reveal Himself to us.  When the prodigal son comes to his father, his father runs to meet him (Luke 15:11—32).  When the wandering dove returns to the ark, Noah put out his hand to pull her in unto him (Genesis 8:9).  If we draw near to others, they may eventually grow weary of us, and even leave us.  But God’s promise is that he will never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

Stephen Thomas

Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com