“…it is against our law…But God has shown me…”
Acts 10:28
Peter was raised a Jew. His Jewishness was ingrained in his culture religion, lifestyle, and traditions. To be a Jew was to know and live the law. And the law dictated that Jews did not associate with Gentiles.
And yet, Peter is uttering these words as he stands in the home of Cornelius, a well-to-do military man and a Gentile.
God prepared Peter for this meeting by giving him a vision in Acts 10:9-16 that essentially set aside the traditional rules of “clean” and “unclean.”
And Peter gets it. He connects the dots. God’s kingdom is not exclusive. There is room in our Father’s house for all that bow to Jesus.
What traditions or expectations are we layering on top of the gospel? Where does “our law” or our rules need to be trumped by God’s truth? What does God need to show us?
A woman who lives sent must beware of excluding or judging others . The smoker, the foreigner, the tattooed, the Democrat, the Republican? Who is the person I choose to step around, refusing consciously or unconsciously to associate with or to pray for?
God, I want to see others through your eyes. I want to love and embrace others as you do. Forgive me for allowing my rules to trump what You reveal.
Live Sent Action Point: Ask God to convict you of any conscious or unconscious judgment. Ask Him to enable you to set this aside and see others through His eyes. Ask Him for an opportunity to demonstrate His love.
This was awesome!! Dustin had a sticky note out when we went to pick up his furniture. It said “You love Jesus as much as the person you love the least.” That really made me think and evaluate my attitude toward others. Thanks for sharing…..
What a great quote! Thank you for sharing this, Deondra. How I praise God He prompted Dustin to record that quote and left it for you to find — along with so many other notes and words that confirm his identity of Christ. What an amazing young man Dustin IS! So glad I can look forward to meeting him in heaven, since I was never blessed to do so here. I’m so glad we are friends!