“There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, Cornelius! 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 10:1-4 NKJ Version

Peter explaining the Good News to Cornelius and his household

“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to send my check for the feeding program lately. My husband has been trying to find another job and we have really been tightening our belts to try to make ends meet.” This is not the first time I have received a letter like this. Our hearts go out to those of you who have given into Rehoboth Ministries…..even when it hurts to do so. We have heard testimonies of friends losing their jobs after several years of faithful service to their companies.

Pink Slip. Downsizing. Laying off. These are dreaded words we hate to hear. Prit and I went through the same thing before we moved to Haiti. We returned from our honeymoon to learn that Prit no longer had a job. Those were hard times. Fortunately, the Lord provided after a period of incredible scarcity. We continued to give our tithes and offerings though and the Lord remembered us – not that he ever forgot! I’m happy to say that he provided for the two supporters who lost their jobs as well. They both have brand new jobs and they also continue to sow into Rehoboth Ministries.

We want to encourage you if you are being severely s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d today. The Lord sees you. He saw the centurion, Cornelius, and rewarded him for his faithfulness. The Lord was so impressed with Cornelius’ faith that he dispatched an angel to give him a personal message. “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.” Can you imagine having a personal message from an angel???

Please be sure to read all the way through Chapter 10 to see what an incredible blessing Cornelius received. The angelic visitation was only the beginning. The blessing carried over to his family and Cornelius’ life became the gateway for the Gospel to the entire Gentile world at that time. His prayers and his alms opened an effectual door for them to receive the Gospel! You never know how far-reaching your giving may be. God can get a lot of mileage out of your generosity. Not only did the Lord pour out such an unfathomable blessing, he never forgot Cornelius’ giving.  A memorial is something that is set up so that no one will ever forget you. The Lord was so touched by Cornelius’ works that he promised to NEVER, EVER forget him.

Friends, the Lord is watching you. Your needs have not escaped his attention. He never forgets your giving either. We pray daily for all our supporters. We know many of you are struggling. Yet, you continue to sow. You will not be disappointed. We humbly thank you for giving from your point of need. God who sees, rewards.