Giving Gets God’s Attention

In Acts chapter 9, there was a disciple called Tabitha which is translated to mean Dorcas. She did a lot of good for others and was very charitable. One day she died after being unwell and they prepared her body for burial and laid her in an upper room. Peter was staying in a neighbouring city in Lydda and the disciples sent men to beg him to come to them quickly. When Peter arrived they took him to the upper room where Dorcas’s body was lying. All the widows present in the house surrounded Peter weeping and showing him all the clothes that Dorcas had made for them. Peter put them out of the room and knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and called out, ‘Tabitha arise.’ Dorcas opened her eyes and when she saw Peter she sat up and he helped her to get up. Peter then called all the saints and the widows and presented Dorcas to them alive. The news of this situation spread throughout all of the city and many people believed and were converted. 

In the next chapter of Acts 10, we learnt about Cornelius who was a Centurion who was called to the Italian regimen. He was described as a devout man who feared the Lord with all of his household. He gave generously to others and he was very prayerful. At the ninth hour of the day he had a vision of an angel of the Lord calling out to him. “And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, Lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God” (Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭4‬). He was told to send men to Joppa to call Simon Peter who would tell him what he needed to do. After the angel left, Cornelius called two of his servants, explained to them what happened and sent them to call Peter. In the meantime God revealed to Peter through a divine revelation, that he wanted him to go to Cornelius to minister to his household. He was on a rooftop and decided to pray as he was hungry and waited for them to prepare a meal for him. 

While Peter waited, he fell into a trance and had a vision where God lowered a sheet with animals. These animals included creeping things and other animals that the Jews considered unclean. Peter heard a voice commanding him to arise, kill and eat the animals. He protested and said that the animals were unclean. “And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common”” (Acts‬ ‭10‬:‭15‬). This scenario was played out in the vision to Peter three times and then the object was taken up into heaven again. When he awoke, he considered what the vision meant and the men from Cornelius were sent to call him. The Holy Spirit told him that the men were there to see him and he was instructed to go with them and not to doubt because God had sent them. Peter went with the men after they told him about Cornelius’s vision and instructions. He ministered to Cornelius’s household and they all received Christ, were filled with the Holy Spirit and were baptised. 

The importance of Peter’s dream was that the Jews didn’t generally associate with the Gentiles and didn’t see them as God’s people. God used this revelation to show Peter that he does not show partiality to anyone based on class or race. What stood out for me about Cornelius was that he was devout and he gave generously to others. It was his prayer and generosity which the bible said drew God’s attention. In fact, they had come up as a memorial before God and so he became the person who God chose to reveal Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit among the Gentiles. In fact God instructed Peter to travel to his house to preach to his household and they also received the gift Holy Spirit. Similarly, Dorcas’s giving to the widows and others meant that they were not content with her untimely death. Many people would have died on a regular basis in that city, but Dorcas had been such a blessing that they refused to allow her to die. God was willing to orchestrate the events surrounding Dorcas, so that Peter was in the next city and able to pray and raise her from the dead. 

It is not always easy to give from what we work hard to earn and our fear of being in lack can cause us to hold on to what we have. God pays attention to our giving when done generously and in order to bless others. We have to be led by the spirit and give willingly and not because we feel forced. When we do obey and give willingly, God will meet all of our needs. We cannot lose when we give to the things of God and our giving will go up as a memorial before God. We will reap a harvest when we give as we sow seeds which will reap a harvest of righteousness. “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” ‭‭(Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭38‬).

Anneta Pinto-Young