God Can't Forget You!

Acts 10:4 - Your prayers and your Alms have come up for a memorial before God.

There are some people that pass through your life that you just can’t forget about. They make such a huge impact in your life that there is a permanent place in your heart that is a memorial to the contribution they made in your life. Cornelius was one of those people. Luke describes him as a centurion, a devout man and one who feared God with his entire household. He gave alms generously to the people and prayed to God always but he wasn’t even a Christian yet.

He was on the right path in the way he was living his life. You could call him a God seeker but he wasn’t a Christ follower. But when you seek after God, Jesus will eventually find you. Around 3 p.m., while Cornelius was praying, God sent an Angel to his house. The Angel told him your prayers and your giving has come up as a memorial to God, in other Word’s, “God can’t forget about you.”

There are times in our lives when we think that our giving and our living are in vain. When we continue to struggle, and continue to have hard times, sometimes we wonder is it worth it. Sometimes life is like looking in your 401K during a recession and the numbers keep going down, and you ask yourself why put money into something that is taking away from my future? But experts will tell you in the Long run it’s important to keep investing because the economy will eventually turn around. When you keep living for God and giving to others it blesses you in the Long run.

The angel said, Your Prayers and your alms (gifts to the poor) have come up as a memorial before God. God can’t forget about you.
When I looked up the word memorial it said, me•mo•ri•al (m -môr - l, -m r -)

(noun.)

1. Something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to celebrate or honor the memory of a person or an event.

2. A written statement of facts or a petition presented to a legislative body or an executive.

(adjective)

1. Serving as a remembrance of a person or an event; commemorative.

2. Of, relating to, or being in memory.

But here is the definition that grabbed my attention - credit, recognition - approval; "give her recognition for trying"; "he was given credit for his work"; "give her credit for trying"

God had sent an Angel to Cornelius because he had good spiritual credit. There was a monument in God’s heart that had been erected through the actions of Cornelius. God sent deliverance to his house and Cornelius and his whole family became followers of Jesus, got saved because of three things:

His Living. He was a devout man. de•vout (d -vout )
adj. de•vout•er, de•vout•est

1. Devoted to religion or to the fulfillment of religious obligations. See Synonyms at religious.

2. Displaying reverence or piety.

3. Sincere; earnest:

Now remember, it’s not enough to be religious or sincere. It’s only a starting place in seeking God. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. It’s good to have ritual and to seek after God, but Religion without relationship is not spiritual. It’s just a ritual.

1. Devout. Cornelius was devout. Going to church is good, but it’s only the beginning, it’s a route to seek God but you must meet Jesus when you get there.

2. His Giving. Cornelius gave alms. Alms in any religion is Money or goods given as charity to the poor. It is a basic understanding in all faiths that we are to give to the poor. God loves a cheerful giver. When we give to the ministry of the poor, God remembers it.

3. His Prayers. The effective and fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. When we pray it moves God to act on our behalf. Our prayers go up to God as a memorial. When you put all three of these together, God can’t forget about you and he’s about to send an Angel to your house to tell you about how he’s going to deliver you.

The thing I like about this is that while Cornelius was praying at the ninth hour, Peter was praying the next day at the sixth hour. God connected Cornelius with a man he had never met who would help him get saved, and Peter was about ready to connect with his next assignment because he was praying as well. God can’t forget you when you live Right, Give Right, and pray right.

Dear God, Help me to be like Cornelius. Help me to give and to live in a way that pleases you. Let my life be a living sacrifice pleasing and acceptable to you which is my reasonable act of service. Help me to be remembered by you for how I’ve lived my life for you. Send an Angel to deliver me and my household that I may follow Jesus for the rest of my life.

In Jesus name,

Amen.