"He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do" (Acts 10:6 NKJV).

A Roman centurion named Cornelius heard these words from an angel. Cornelius, the first Gentile convert to the church, was a God-fearing, devout, praying, alms-giving man whose prayers and charitable deeds had come up before God as a "memorial." The angel told him about a man named Peter, who was staying with Simon the tanner. A tannery stinks - but not as much as sin. Cornelius was assured that Peter would tell him what he must do to be saved from sin. You see, even his daily prayers and deeds of benevolence were not enough to save him. Nor are our's.

We don't like being told what to do. We bristle when we hear that we must do this or do that. Our problem is pride. We are rebels at heart. Someone once described sin as "red-handed rebellion against God." But Cornelius was a man who understood authority. After all, he was an officer in the Italian Regiment. He expected the soldiers under his command to obey just as he himself submitted to the dictates of his superiors. So when Peter issued the command to be baptized (v. 48), there was no hesitation or argument on the part of Cornelius. Nor should there be whenever we hear the apostles' teaching on anything that we must do.

Prayer: Gracious God, grant us the humility and desire to do what we are told we must do in your Word.

 

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