It is a profound truth to realize the Living God responds to those who treasure Him. I have always been fascinated by the story of Cornelius. Cornelius was the captain of 100 men (centurion), “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many [gifts of charity] and prayed to God continually.”1
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” ~James 4:8a WEB
God responded to Cornelius’s heart by saying, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your [gifts of charity] have been remembered before God.”2 God encouraged Cornelius to send for Simon Peter which he did. The men that asked Simon Peter to accompany them back to Cornelius’s house said to him, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.”3
“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.” ~Matthew 7:7-8 WEB
Cornelius realized the importance of hearing Peter’s message, so Cornelius assembled his relatives and close friends, saying, “We are all here present before God to hear all that you [Peter] have been commanded by the Lord.”4
Peter realized the significance of God’s impartial love toward all people. He said, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right.”5
We Must Realize This Truth for Ourselves
It is of great encouragement to realize the “eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth so that He may support those whose heart is completely His.”6 It is, “Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”7
We can follow Cornelius’s example when we seek to know God with all our hearts. And we too can experience God’s loving response which is the provision of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.
“[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.”
“[Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him.”
“And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent].”
“For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently. And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross.” ~Colossians 1:13-20 AMPC
Recommendations:
10 Bible Verses for Healing a Broken Heart – Strength with Dignity
God Hears Our Cry – He Does Not Ignore Us – Strength with Dignity
References:
1 Acts 10:3 NASB
2 Acts 10:31 NASB
3 Acts 10:22 NASB
4 Acts 10:33 NASB
5 Acts 10:34-35 NIV
6 2 Chronicles 16:9 AMP
7 Colossians 2:3 NASB
Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Amplified Bible, Classis Edition (AMPC) Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.
Bible Verses about ‘Realize’. Published by Daily Verses. Retrieved April 13, 2023, from 15 Bible Verses about ‘Realize’ – DailyVerses.net
New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB 1995), copyright 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
World English Bible (WEB) by Public Domain. The name “World English Bible” is trademarked.
Bible Gateway Blogger Grid Member #bgbg2 #BibleGateway
Every Friday, I join an online Christian writing community, Five Minute Friday. We are given a one-word prompt and write – unscripted, unedited, pure free-write – for 5 minutes. The prompt this week is realize.
23 thoughts on “Realize this Unparalleled Truth: God Responds to Those Who Treasure Him”
Indeed we must realize all these truths for ourselves and appropriate them in our lives, so that we don’t just know them, but trust them and live them out.
Thanks. xx
Realizing our need to trust Him and appropriate His loving truth in our lives is paramount, Fiona.
Sometimes I feel so far from Him,
lost in the black despair of pain
that it seems my hopes are slim
that He’ll find me once again.
And why indeed should He try;
it’s me that wandered off, you see,
and there’s no Earthly reason why
He should seek out the likes of me,
but in that thought there is the answer;
He is not of this dull Earth,
and far outweighing fear and cancer,
the promise of a second birth
that He holds out, a fresh new start
is the essence of His heart.
The essence of His heart is beautiful, Andrew! His love compels Him to woo and pursue us!
Yes, we must realize this truth for ourselves. Therein is true wisdom.
It always comes back to our response to His great love, Wayne.
I love the words, “Your prayer has been heard.” What a comfort to know our Lord answers the cries of our hearts.
It is such an encouragement to our hearts, Tammy, to know He hears our every prayer, catches our every tear, and knows when we rise up and sit down; He is intimately acquainted with all our ways.
I love this story and the examples of these two men from very different backgrounds who realized the truth God revealed to them and acted on it. Thank you for sharing this encouragement! Visiting from FMF#8 today.
I’m so glad you were encouraged, Kym! Cornelius’s hunger beckoned God to respond to him!
Lisa, such a comfort to know God hears us, not because we do everything right, or come from a certain church background, but because of a sincere heart seeking to know Him more deeply.
It is such a comforting truth, Donna, to know that when we draw near to Him, He is faithful to respond by drawing near to us.
Thanks for sharing this encouraging reminder.
God always responds to us, Sandra! When we draw near to Him, He is faithful to draw near to us.
It’s so humbling to realise the lengths God goes to for us moment to moment Lisa.
We’re neighbours at Anita’s today 😊
Blessings, Jennifer
It is very humbling, Jennifer, to know the Living God is intimately acquainted with our every thought and movement.
Beautiful post, Lisa. My one word this year is “guide” and it is such a comfort to know we can appropriate these truths and promises for our own lives. As we draw near to Him, He draws even nearer to us, guiding us in His ways through His Word. Blessings!
It is such a comfort, Joanne, to know when we draw near to Him, He is faithful to draw near to us. He is Faithful and True to all His promises.
Pingback: Lay Your Burden Down {{Let’s Have Coffee}}
Thank you for sharing! I love that Cornelius story reminds us that God cares about having relationship with all of us, no matter who we are.
Cornelius’s story gives us so much hope, Letetia!
It really is a profound truth to realize the Living God responds to those who treasure Him. Oh he is my treasure, I’m so in love with him.
Thank you so much for sharing this with Sweet Tea & Friends this month my friend.
It is amazing, Paula, that He delights in those who delight in Him!