Get Real November 23 Devotional
November 23, 2024
ACTS 10:23-33 | So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from Joppa accompanied him. The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him. But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up; I am only a mortal.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled; and he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?” Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me. He said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say.”
Cornelius went beyond the usual expectations for Peter. He gathered all his relatives and close friends. He fell down on his face when he greeted him, as a sign of humility—very uncommon for an elite Roman soldier! He created a mission moment for Peter to share the Gospel, demonstrating his sincerity and eager obedience. Peter meets a Gentile who is a person of real spiritual depth.
God is asking Peter to see people in a new way and to understand the divine work differently. The dream about unclean food declared kosher now connects with the experience of becoming friends with “unclean” Gentiles.
When has someone else’s faith surprised you?
When have you gone the extra-mile in obedience to the spirit?
