Broaden your vision ...

Now to the second part of this discovery from Erwin Raphael McManus - Wide Awake. This time we peer into the life of Peter. As a Jew he has grasped the importance of spreading the Gospel message, well amongst the Jews anyway. That is what is important to him and he goes for it wholeheartedly.

But God gives him a dream, a vision. In it God is preparing Peter for an encounter with a Roman. This Roman, Cornelius, well you see he was not at all on Peter's hit list for those who needed to hear the message of Christ, in fact, far from it. You might recall the dream, whereby all these different foods are being lowered before Peter from heaven and he is told to eat. Peter's response is that he can't, these to him are unclean, and the message from God is that he (Peter) does not determine what is unclean and what is not - that is for God.

The fact is though, this is not a lesson about food. It is not about what God would or would not have us to eat. It is though about the widening, broadening of a person's vision. Effectively says Erwin, God is saying, Peter, your vision is too small. am expanding your field of vision. I am broadening your sphere of concern. I am deepening the burden of your responsibility.

What a lesson. I am challenged by this, not because I have thought the Gospel to be for a select few or anything along those lines. But, because I know that at times I can be limiting of where things could go when God is in control. I can so easily get stuck in the thinking that this is impossible and take the foot off the accelerator from moving ahead as God might desire. I know the need to have my vision broadened and to take on the responsibility of what God has laid upon my heart, Lord, help me to be true to this.

Take a moment to read through Acts chapter 10 - what does God want you to see more fully?