Have a blessed Memorial Day.
Carlen
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Today's Devotional May 30, 2005
Subject: Now That's A Memorial Acts 10:1 - 4 "There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. |
| A memorial is something that
serves as a reminder of a significant event or circumstance. On
Memorial Day we remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in
defense of our country. The day reminds us that the freedoms that we
enjoy were not without the sacrifice of many who gave all that they had,
even unto death. This sacrifice we see most clearly represented by
the death of Jesus. However, now that we've become "living
sacrifices" based upon God's word in Romans, lets see what type
of memorials we can establish today.
The passage above talks about how Cornelius was a devout man who gave to people and prayed to God continually. It then ends the passage by saying that this giving and praying was a "memorial" before God. Now that's a memorial. Cornelius wasn't giving to the people so that he could get a break on his taxes. He was giving as a reminder. Could it be that it served as a reminder of the God to which he was so devoted that he ensured that all of his house feared Him? Were his prayers to God so that he could know how to give or were they just to keep him in constant communion with The Father? Whatever they were, we know that God says that they went up as a memorial before Him. |
| Today as we commemorate those who
have given their lives, remember that, in Christ, you too have given
yours. You should have a memorial that goes up before
God. Use the example of Cornelius giving to people and praying to
God. You can't beat that for a memorial.
Have a blessed Memorial Day. Carlen
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