The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

Connections in God’s kingdom are often random and unexplainable by human understanding. Peter and Cornelius were two people who would have never been connected save for the power of God and the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Their backgrounds were totally different; they lived in different areas, and they had no common friends to tie them together.

But God in his infinite wisdom knew that each could enrich the other and the connection of faith between them would be strong. Through Cornelius, even before Peter came to him, God convicted Peter of the arrogance of his Jewish heritage. God did not create unclean people. And by applying Jewish rules to non-Jews, and categorizing them into an “unclean group”, Peter and the other Jews failed to love them as Jesus would have them.

Who have I categorized into a group and cast off in my mind as “unclean” and/or “unloveable”? How will I see people as individuals God loves and celebrate their gifts, abilities, and potential in Jesus?

We see here, Cornileus submits to Peter’s leadership in the church. He did not have to do this, he was a Roman centurion, a man of rank and prestige. But he honored God’s leadership over him and listened to Peter’s instructions from God. He not only did this himself, but he recruited others around him who trusted him to do the same.

Will I humbly follow the lead of those God has put into leadership positions over me in my life? Will I listen without assumptions and be willing to be taught new things?

Thank you, Lord, for the examples of these godly men, Cornileus and Peter. They were not perfect in actions or understanding, but they stayed close to you and listened to your call on their lives, even if it seemed strange or foreign to them. Help me to model my life in this way too. I want to be fully available to your call and your healing touch in my heart.