Screen Door on a Submarine

“Devout”, “God-fearing”, “gives generously”, and “prays regularly” - qualities we should embody as Christians. In the plot twist filled book of Acts, we learn these are the descriptions not of one of the apostles, but of a Roman centurion, Cornelius, and his family! Acts has many examples on ways we should and should not live our life, it’s just surprising to see a leader of 100 Roman soldiers being on the good example list.

Perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised though. Our God uses people of all shapes and sizes to give examples of how we should live, how we should love, how we should show our faith. Perhaps a moral of this story is not to judge a book by it’s cover, afterall “Human beings judge one another by their external actions. God judges them by their moral choices” C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity.

While it’s important to live right, clearly Cornelius wanted his outward actions to match his God-fearing heart. His heart and mind were open to the glory of God and when God sends an angel, Cornelius goes into command mode and follows the orders precisely. We’ve seen examples in the Bible where men and women raised in the faith question an angel’s orders, ask for clarity, or demand another sign. Let Cornelius remind us that God will find us no matter our background if we keep our eyes and ears open, and when God calls, act!

-Alex Pfister