June 16

1 Kings 15:25-17:24, Acts 10:24-48, Psalm 134:1-3, Proverbs 17:9-11

Pray: Pray for those who are marginalized in our society. Lift those who find themselves being on the outside looking in and are trying to find their place in our world. Pray that they would find community within the walls of the church and their place in the kingdom of God.

Read: The story of Cornelius and Peter is a powerful one that demonstrates that we are all cut from the same cloth and should treat each other as such. Even though it was against the law for a Jewish man to enter the house of a Gentile or even associate with him, this did not stop Peter and Cornelius from their interactions. Peter makes a profound statement that we need to hear today, when he says, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right”. As followers of Christ, we are not to see race or nationality or even religious affiliation to stop us from seeing the Imago Dei (the image of God) that is present in each of us. While we may not all agree on every aspect of theological rhetoric, we are to see that we are made in the image of God and should therefore have respect for one another.

Edify: The interaction with Paul and Cornelius is one that we can learn from today. Even though they came from different backgrounds, there was a mutual respect for one another. It was their belief in the one, true God that brought them together in Christ’s name and which made them willing to overlook the current understanding of Jews and Gentiles not sharing common space much less have a meaningful relationship. May we be the same… let’s not allow our differences to be a divide that cannot be overcome. Rather, let us come together in the name of Christ for the sake of unity and the common good.

Practice: It is very easy to allow petty differences to divide us. I challenge you to reach out to someone that we don’t see eye to eye with and, setting differences aside, get to know the person.