The Benefits of Fearing God as a Habit
Acts 10:1-2 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.
Story: A God-fearer or one who fears God is used in Acts to speak of a Gentile who believes in the one true God, but hasn’t converted to Judaism (other references includes Acts 10:35, 13:16, 43, and 17:4, 17). As the Gospel was beginning to spread, God was already working in the hearts of Gentiles. Salvation is open to all peoples. Cornelius has shown his belief in God through his actions. It can be easy to imagine this centurion (v. 1) applying his military discipline to his walk with God – being consistent in worship, giving, and prayer. When an angel of God comes to Cornelius, he reacts with fear and terror (v. 3 and 4). But his first words are, ‘What is it, Lord?’, as a soldier awaiting orders from his commanding officer. Through Cornelius, God opened wide the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles – and on equal footing of faith in Christ as the Jews.
My Prayer Response: Father, how You prepared and worked in the heart of this man, Cornelius. Protecting him in battles, developing his leadership and discipline, instilling into him obedience to authorities – all these gave him earthly success, but more importantly, lead him to salvation. You work in amazing and often mysterious ways. Work so in the hearts of many in Fresno and beyond. Prepare them for the Gospel message You give us to speak to them.
May you continue in the habit of fearing God today!