 There is an amazing story in the Bible about a centurion named Cornelius. According to Britannica.com, a centurion is the chief officer in the armies of ancient Rome. The centurion was also the smallest of a Roman legion, and a legion had about 6, 000 soldiers.
Each legion was separated into 10 cohorts, and each cohort had 6 centuria. “The centurion thus nominally commanded about 100 men, and there were 60 centurions in a legion.” In the Book of Acts 10, the Bible talks about Cornelius and how he and his household feared God. They prayed to God constantly and gave generously to others. Now, this principal officer, around the ninth hour of the day, saw a vision of an angel of God visiting him and calling his name. The angel told Cornelius, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.” When an angel shows up, calling your name, and announces that your gifts to the poor have reached God as a “memorial” (a pleasing offering), that is paramount! Just imagine, this Roman soldier, whose name means “Of the little horn,” humbled himself and donated what he had to the less fortunate. Furthermore, he honored God. Matthew 25:35-40 tells us that when we give to the poor, it is like giving to Jesus. Jesus said, for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me’ (Matthew 25:35-40). Also read Isaiah 58, which talks about the same topic. So, my question to you is this, “Is your giving reaching God as a memorial or as a mourning?” Give and it shall be given unto you. Strive today to leave your mark in heaven by fearing God and reaching out to help others. Stay tuned to find out what happened to Cornelius after that encounter with the angel. Previous posts Ignore those commentators What is your learning style? |
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