Acts 10:1-6
1-10 In Caesarea there lived a Roman
army officer, Cornelius, a captain of an Italian regiment. He was a
godly man, deeply reverent, as was his entire household. He gave
generously to charity and was a man of prayer. While wide awake one
afternoon he had a vision—it was about three o’clock—and in this vision
he saw an angel of God coming toward him.
“Cornelius!” the angel said. Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What do you want, sir?” he asked the angel.
And
the angel replied, “Your prayers and charities have not gone unnoticed
by God! Now send some men to Joppa to find a man named Simon Peter, who
is staying with Simon, the tanner, down by the shore, and ask him to
come and visit you.”
34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that the Jews are not God’s only favorites!
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
When I was six years old,
the Greers Ferry Dam was dedicated by then-President John F. Kennedy
just outside our city limits. This hydroelectric dam on the Little Red
River created Greers Ferry Lake, a 40,000-acre recreational waterway
that offers countless hours of fun and entertainment to residents and
visitors alike. The dam also provides flood control, hydroelectric
power, and our daily water supply. The construction of the dam brought
an influx of people to our sleepy little town from all across the
country…both in the years of its actual formation – and afterward, as
opportunities increased for businesses to support the growing tourism
industry.
Local people often referred to those who moved here as a
result of this project as “the dam people.” And in the years that
followed, we smugly dubbed many who settled here – particularly retirees
from states like Michigan, Illinois and Iowa – as “those Northerners –
or Yankees.” As a teenager, I met a “Northerner” whose family had moved
here from Iowa, by way of a western Arkansas city…and I fell in love.
Ultimately, I married that “Northerner”…and God has blessed us
tremendously over the last 4+ decades.
I encourage you to read
all of Acts 10 and learn about Peter’s “vision”…how God told him to eat
animals that Peter (a Jew) said were not kosher. Read about how Peter
obeyed God and went with Cornelius’ men back to Caesarea…and how he
ultimately shared the Good News of Jesus with them and baptized many who
were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Three thoughts about this
story clearly struck me…in Verse 15, the voice in Peter’s vision says to
him…“Don’t contradict God! If he says something is kosher, then it
is.” In Verse 34, Peter says, “I see very clearly that the Jews are not
God’s only favorites!” And in the last part of Verse 28, Peter says,
“God has shown me in a vision that I should never think of anyone as
inferior.”
We think we are open-minded and fair. We don’t want
to believe that we would ever discriminate against anyone else. But
even in my little community, discrimination has run rampant for
decades…from the clucking of tongues about the “dam people” …to the
absolute shock and panic that swept our city when I was a teen and a
black reporter came from Little Rock to cover a local parade…to the
disdain, disparagement and downright hatred that fills the hearts of
many in our midst today over everything from differing political views
to sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, socio-economic level, and more.
We
don’t want to “touch” anyone who has a different skin color, is on
welfare, or has a physical or mental disability. We want everyone to
fit into a nice, neat little box…to belong to our denomination, wear
what we wear, eat what we eat, and spin the same ideology as we do on
everything from our favorite sports teams to “the government” to who
lives on our street and attends our church. In doing this, we not only
miss out on knowing some pretty swell people…we grieve God…and it has to
stop.
Cornelius and Simon Peter offer examples of incredible
faith and obedience to God. We see two very different men who both went
the second mile to find common ground in our Heavenly Father and His
gift of Jesus Christ. We have a profound example that God created ALL
of us and has specific – and equivalent – love and care for each one.
HIS desire is that we all come to know Jesus…that we serve Him
shoulder-to-shoulder without any discrepancy. OUR JOB is to go the
second mile in our efforts to make this happen…to faithfully obey the
scriptures and God’s individual word over our lives.
This
passage from Acts 10 illustrates how much God can accomplish when we all
trust Him and make the effort to get along. Amazing things can happen
if we will only listen for His voice…and follow through on His
directives. Will this be the day that you renew your efforts to do
exactly that? Are you still trying to make a point…or are you ready to
really make a difference?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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