Peter and Cornelius

Acts 10-11, talks about Peter and Cornelius. Many times I have heard others talk about this, and how everyone is acceptable in the sight of God. Peter was a devout Jewish follower of Christ, who still followed the laws of Kosher. He did not eat anything that God had instructed Moses not to let the people eat. God came to him in a vision and informed him that all was good to eat. In this vision, God was not really telling Peter to stop following Kosher. What He was saying, was that all people are acceptable to God. God wanted His message to go to all people, not only the Jews. But here is the thing that I find interesting, before Peter and Cornelius met, they both had visions from God. God did not need Peter to teach Cornelius anything. He could have done that Himself. What He was wanting was to help them mature. In order for us to mature, we have to go through things ourselves. We do not tend to really listen to others, even to God. I am like many others, I am a stubborn woman. I persecute myself, before I learn and am willing to listen. God has given us the gift to listen, but many times we do not. God has called us to be in relationships with others, but many times He has to make us get uncomfortable before we will do what He is asking us to do.

Does God need any of us? No, He does not need any of us. He is a God of love and He does desire a relationship with us. But since He knows we are a fallen people made for relationships, He forces us to have relationships with others. He has called us to not only love Him, but to love other people, all people. As I watch others, and as I am in relationships myself, I have discovered those relationships always fall apart when both people are being selfish. It does not really matter if we are always called to be the one giving up what we want in a relationship. What matters, is that love is shown. When I am with Jason, we never eat where I really want to eat. But that is why God has given me others in my life, they like the same food as I do. If Jason fulfilled every desire that I had, I would never have a need for anyone else. That does not mean that if your spouse is not fulfilling your sexual desires, you go out and get it somewhere else. Everything must be in accordance with God. What it does mean, we are made for relationships. We are called to go out and do things that we may normally find uncomfortable.

The moment that I feel God needs me to do something is the very moment that I am not really seeing what God is saying to me. It is the very moment my relationships are in danger. God does not need me to say or do anything. What He wants is for me to mature in my love with Him and others. Everything really boils down to love. Am I loving God? Am I loving other people? The very moment that I get selfish and say, "what about me," is the very moment any relationship I am in, is in danger. If we leave a relationship with others, before we have learned what we need to learn about ourselves and God, we are doomed to repeat it, until we learn it. Something that I find interesting is when people are married and divorced multiple times. The trends in their life are set, and they tend to pass the blame game. Any relationship we are in, we have to look at how God is growing us. In order to get better, we have to step away from our own selfish desires and learn to love others the way God loves us.

Oswald Chambers, "Jesus does not mention the other person— He says for you to go. It is not a matter of your rights. The true mark of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus. '. . . and then come and offer your gift.' The process of reconciliation is clearly marked. First we have the heroic spirit of self-sacrifice, then the sudden restraint by the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, and then we are stopped at the point of our conviction. This is followed by obedience to the Word of God, which builds an attitude or state of mind that places no blame on the one with whom you have been in the wrong. And finally there is the glad, simple, unhindered offering of your gift to God." What is God calling you to do? How is He trying to help you to grow? Is your love life, the walk He has called you to? He does not need you, in order to help others. What He desires from you is relationship. What He knows about all of us is that we need others, so we can grow more in love with him, our self.

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/09/26/devotion.aspx?year=2009