In Acts 10 there is this man of value named Cornelius who is known by God for his prayers and his generosity for the poor. Acts 10:1-9,
“At Caesarea 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. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.”
Cornelius is a Gentile not a Jew, yet worships God. He and his family were devout and God-fearing. Devout means to be totally committed to a cause or belief. This devoutness was proved by his generosity to those in need and his regular prayers to God. It’s this lifestyle of action based upon his beliefs and convictions that fueled this encounter with the angel.
The angel said that his prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. The greek word for memorial was like a memorandum. A memorandum is a note or record made for future use. What Cornelius did was recorded so that it would be remembered. It was because of this record that the angel was sent. The angel sent Cornelius to Peter, and Peter spoke of the reconciliation that came through Jesus.
Cornelius had such a place in God’s heart that he sent an angel to point him in the right direction to receive the Holy Spirit and in doing so, jump started the preaching to the Gentiles. Cornelius’ life reflected the heart of God and God recorded it. It reminds me of Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”