“At Caesarea (on the Mediterranean Sea) there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.” – Acts 10:1-2
Cornelius was a Roman centurion stationed in the port city of Caesarea. The Scriptures describe Cornelius as a “God-fearing man” which meant that he believed in a higher power and wanted to do right. In other words, he was a dependable, responsible, and an all-around good man. Cornelius was also a man of prayer. Some might ask how he could be a man a prayer if he wasn’t a Christian. Well, there are many people who believe in God but don’t know Him personally. That was the case with Cornelius; he was lost but searching for God.
One day while praying, Cornelius had a vision from God. An angel told him to send men to Joppa, a city 30 miles down the coast, and to find a man named Peter. Before Cornelius even knew God personally, he was willing to do what the angel said. It took faith to pursue a course of action that didn’t make sense – but Cornelius obeyed. Walking in obedience to God’s commands distinguishes real faith from just believing in God. Cornelius demonstrated this faith.
Many people today have faith in God and in His Word, but until we put faith into action we’re not demonstrating real faith. There’s a big difference in having faith that God’s Word is true and putting faith into action by obeying God’s commands. Real faith is displayed when our faith meets action. Do you have real faith? When it comes to faith, will you act in obedience to God’s Word?
