Getting In Position

There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

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. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” 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. So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Acts 10:1-8 NKJV

Cornelius was Italian, not Jewish. The Good News of the gospel had not yet been shared with any Gentile (non-Jew). Yet, there he was - a God-fearing man who prayed and fasted and gave alms to those in need. And the angel of the Lord came to speak to him and set him up to meet with Peter. The first of the non-Jews to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ, essentially opening it up to the whole world. 

One person's individual choices and follow-through actions put him in position to be a blessing to those in his region. What if he had been God-fearing, but didn't pray? Or didn't give alms? Or didn't fast. He'd have been like a two- or three-legged table - not stable - and definitely not able to be in position with room enough to receive when the time came.  

Prayer:

Father,

         Move on our hearts and minds and souls and spirits to fully embrace You and Your Word. We want to be positioned properly to receive everything You want to give us so that we may be able to help others who need to hear Your Gospel.  Help us to know and recognize what is needful to be in position to receive from You in order to light the way for others. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen