God’s Special Attention—Two2Grow, June 13
God’s Special Attention—Two2Grow, June 13
“Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God” Acts 10:4 NIV
Do you want God’s special attention?
Do you want to be a channel of blessing to others?
The way to reaching these goals is through prayer and giving.
I’m sure you’re not surprised by the first one—prayer—but giving is not usually something we think about as a way of connecting with God.
In Acts 10, we read about Cornelius, a Roman commander who was the first non-Jew to be Spirit-filled. One day, as he was praying, an angel came to him and said that his prayers and generosity to the poor had caught God’s special attention.
After this, he was given instructions on how to get the apostle Peter to his house. As Peter came, the Spirit filled the whole group. It was an amazing thing!
Notice how it all started: with Cornelius’ prayers and gifts that caught the eye of heaven! And his faithfulness led to blessing for his household and friends.
This story is encouraging because all of us, no matter who we are, can pray and give. You might not be in a place in life where you can pray long or give very much; the amount isn’t what’s important. Pray as much and as often as you can, and give as much as you can. It is the action and heart behind it that matters.
Now I need to make clear that we are not talking about earning God’s attention. God’s gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit are pure gifts of grace. I’m not talking about trying to earn merit. Rather, it is a response to the love and generosity of God that we have already experienced. As we respond to God’s gift of life and blessings through prayer and generosity, we enter more deeply into relationship with Him, and His blessings overflow in our lives.
I encourage you to start practicing these two things right away and expect to see divine surprises as heaven looks your way.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me. Help me now so that I can respond to Your grace by praying and giving, and so enter more deeply into communion with You and see Your blessings abound in my life.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD
Do you want God’s special attention?
Do you want to be a channel of blessing to others?
The way to reaching these goals is through prayer and giving.
I’m sure you’re not surprised by the first one—prayer—but giving is not usually something we think about as a way of connecting with God.
In Acts 10, we read about Cornelius, a Roman commander who was the first non-Jew to be Spirit-filled. One day, as he was praying, an angel came to him and said that his prayers and generosity to the poor had caught God’s special attention.
After this, he was given instructions on how to get the apostle Peter to his house. As Peter came, the Spirit filled the whole group. It was an amazing thing!
Notice how it all started: with Cornelius’ prayers and gifts that caught the eye of heaven! And his faithfulness led to blessing for his household and friends.
This story is encouraging because all of us, no matter who we are, can pray and give. You might not be in a place in life where you can pray long or give very much; the amount isn’t what’s important. Pray as much and as often as you can, and give as much as you can. It is the action and heart behind it that matters.
Now I need to make clear that we are not talking about earning God’s attention. God’s gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit are pure gifts of grace. I’m not talking about trying to earn merit. Rather, it is a response to the love and generosity of God that we have already experienced. As we respond to God’s gift of life and blessings through prayer and generosity, we enter more deeply into relationship with Him, and His blessings overflow in our lives.
I encourage you to start practicing these two things right away and expect to see divine surprises as heaven looks your way.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me. Help me now so that I can respond to Your grace by praying and giving, and so enter more deeply into communion with You and see Your blessings abound in my life.
Pastor Mikael Stenhammar, PhD