Acts 10:1-8
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as
the Italian Regiment. 2 He
and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those
in need and prayed to God regularly. 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel(E) of God, who came to him and said,
“Cornelius!”
4 Cornelius
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(F) before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone,
Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his
attendants. 8 He told them everything that had happened and
sent them to Joppa.
Have you ever wondered what
happened to the money that you put in the offering plate, dropped in the
Salvation Army bucket, or handed to someone who was poor? I know I have and sometimes didn’t give
because I wasn’t sure what the other person was going to do with it. Today, my attitude is changed when I think
about giving to the poor. As I read this
scripture today I saw exactly where that gift goes, it goes as a memorial to
the Lord. That gift goes all the way to
Heaven and rest at the feet God. Not
only does the gift travel to Him as a memorial offering, so do my prayers. Next time I have the opportunity to help the
poor whether it is monetary means or building someone up who is poor in spirit,
I pray that this verse will come to mind and I will recall where the gift is
actually going to. There is no better
way to invest our money than to send it up to Heaven!
As you seek Him today, be sure to
ask Him what gift He would have you give to someone in need today.
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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