Friday, December 13, 2013

Devout

'The book of Acts is about the actions of the apostles, not about their intentions', I heard someone say. That is a good reason for Christians to read that book regularly. It shows how believers under the New Covenant can and should live.

Besides it being a practical book, it is also a book full of colorful characters. The other day I was reading about this Italian guy Cornelius (who invited Jewish Peter for a not-so-kosher meal at his house). The Bible says about him: He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly (Acts 10:2).

Well, there you have it again; a sentence, a single verse that really makes me think. Cornelius was a devout man. What exactly is a devout man? I am asking myself. Being devout has often kind of a negative religious sound. Devout people are fanatic, hypocrite or narrow minded... But what does the Bible say about being devout? Cornelius and all his family were God-fearing, he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

Looking back at one of my previous posts I noticed that the fear of God is a condition for church growth. Fear of God is also an attribute of devout people. God-fearing is being translated in this verse as being a person of: 
  • generosity and
  • prayer
A devout (God-fearing) person prays much and opens his/her wallet with joy to give GENEROUSLY to those in need. I think this is truly something we have to learn as believers! Recently we asked everyone in our church this question: Make a rough inventory of your expenses (apart from home payments and food). Think about: memberships, magazines, clothes, gadgets, snacks, vacation etc. How does this stand in relationship to your investments in God's Kingdom?

Well, needless to say that it brought about much discussion and comments :) But believe me, it is a great exercise to find out where our heart really lies.

12 comments:

  1. Hi, Marja:

    The Bible is indeed full of colorful characters as you point out, isn't it? ;-)

    When I think of being "God-fearing," I think of being reverential, respectful, and deferential. We pray to God to communicate with Him because we revere His mighty hand, respect his authority, and defer to His Word over our own wishes. When I think of our charge to be generous, I think that we are generous to one another because we all are children of God and made in His image. This reminds me of the verse in Matthew 25:40, "‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

    The image you chose for this post of a clenched fist holding money is powerful because it ties devotion to putting our money where our mouth is.

    Great post. Thanks for sharing this with us. Be well.

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    1. Thanks for your comment Janette, generosity is indeed inherited from God!

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  2. Hi Marja -

    Thoughtful post. How often do we breeze over details in Scripture? Those details are important. Thank you for highlighting these so effectively.

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

    P.S. I've tweeted this post.

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    1. Glad you stopped by Susan, I am always thankful for your comments!

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  3. I haven't read Acts for awhile ... it is time!

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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  4. Hi, Marja. I had never thought of being devout in relation to giving--until today! Thanks for this fresh insight, brought about by the Holy Spirit.

    I rececently told my husband I was going to let three magazine subscriptions end. I can use the money more wisely, and the time spent reading them, too! It's a great idea, like you say, to take inventory now and then.

    Blessings on your family this Christmas!

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    1. That is what such a scripture does to me as well, I evaluate my giving and spending! Thanks for joining in this journey through the book of Acts!

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  5. Hi Marja! It is a good thing to know where your interests lie, kind of like that passage about 'where your treasure is, there is your heart.' i hope that I am all for the Lord, but I know that I'm not perfect. Just have to keep trying...and doing an inventory at times is an excellent thing to have a spiritual check-up!

    Thoughtful post today :)
    Ceil

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    1. That is exactly the passage I was thinking about. When we give, our heart will follow. Thanks for leaving your comment Ceil.

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  6. This is an excellent topic - and timely for me. Have been thinking about what consumes my time in light of what is really important. So glad you shared this, Marja!

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    1. It's probably especially timely in this December month :) I didn't even think of that. But it never hurts to rethink our spending patterns. Thanks for stopping by Karen, I appreciate it.

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Thanks for your visit, it is my hope and prayer that this post was an encouragement to you! Feel free to leave a comment.