Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, special ones.

Right now the scene out my window is full of bright spectacular sunlight. But it seems to be intermittent. The fact that it is dry influences a plan for the morning. I have a tool (panel saw) laying across the bed of my pickup that I negotiated real cheap in Portland on Friday…a great asset for Andy’s signshop in Dallas. So I think I will take Becki with me in the truck to her doctor’s appointment in Silverton, then run on from there to Dallas. Hopefully we can pull off the run without rain.

I did something kind of impulsive last evening. After completing our Sunday routine, sensing that conditions could be very good, I ran off to Ski Bowl, leaving here about 5:30pm. I was at the top of the hill for my first run at 7pm. It was nice and cold with fresh dry snow. I had a great time…even though I was too late to find much snow that was not already carved up. Had a great workout…and didn’t crash one time.

Have a great day with your adventure. Love, Dad/Ray

By standards of Jewish tradition, Cornelius was an unclean outsider. Even Peter, the great spokesperson for the early Church, had to be given some strong influence to help change his prejudiced traditional thinking. God, of course, is not bound by standards and traditions generated and imposed by men (religion). In fact, the divine motive embedded in the Gospel was that ALL may be saved—not just Jews. This was clearly a pill hard for Peter to swallow. (Hey, Peter, remember what you were inspired to say to the Sanhedrin back in Acts 4:12?) An overview of this account indicates that Cornelius needed Peter, and Peter needed Cornelius. Both were men of faith, but both were handicapped by limited revelation.

The Sovereign Lord who sees and monitors everyone everywhere all the time saw in Cornelius a set of godly qualities that warranted His special attention and revelation. I want to take time to note those qualities. I will cite five.

1. DEVOUT. He was dedicated to the level of revelation of truth that he had. He was committed to following a life style that he believed was right. He refused to be a victim of social pressure. It was not popular for a Roman centurion to be a devout follower of the God of Israel.
2. GOD-FEARING. He truly believed that God meant what He said. Cornelius feared living in any way contrary to pleasing this Sovereign God. And that’s a healthy form of fear.
3. GENEROUS GIVING. We can presume that Cornelius tithed (contributed 10% of his income). He was clearly a giver of offerings beyond that. He had a sincere care for needy people and desired to do what he could to help. There was an appropriate blending of his faith with his finances.
4. REGULAR PRAYING. He regularly sought God in prayer. Very likely he used some form of prayer list. However he transacted it, prayer was an essential and normal component of his faith.
5. EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP. I have high regard for Cornelius. His faith was not isolated to himself alone. Somehow he was able to effectively role-model, communicate, and replicate his faith with his family. The description says, “He and all his family…”

There is no evidence that Cornelius was receiving special angelic visitations on a regular basis, but by being faithful in these routine qualities of godliness, he was ready at the right time to receive expanded special revelation. It was all part of the wonderful unfolding plan of God for his life.

Do you think it might be a good idea to embrace these same qualities in your own life? If so, you can be assured of fitting in with God’s plans and being a recipient of His blessings and ongoing revelation. What an adventure!