100 Days to a Healthier ChurchSample

Day 61

Today’s Big Idea: Peter’s mind and heart are changed. Change is hard. Especially for people like Peter (and maybe you) who have spent most or all of their lives serving God in one specific way. It can be hard to serve God in a new way, with new people. But all that matters is that we’re serving Him.

Key Verse: “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” (Acts 10:34–35).

Thoughts to Consider: Note what Peter did and did not change his mind on. He accepted the monumental changes God had proposed, but he recognized they were based on foundational truths that never change. In verses 36–43, Peter described the events of Jesus’ life, crucifixion, and resurrection and how they fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. This was probably the first time the Romans gathered at Cornelius’s home had heard any of this.

Changing our minds about long-held ideas doesn’t mean losing our faith. If we’re making the changes God is leading us to make, they will strengthen our faith. What might God be challenging you with? Are you willing to listen to God saying something you’ve never heard before and respond in ways you never acted before? If so, God will do something He’s never done before.