Acts 10:24-48
(Cornelius) Then they asked him to remain for some days. (v. 48b) I’m not surprised that Cornelius asked Peter to remain a few days – after waiting four days to hear from him and then having a Holy Spirit baptism, I can imagine how Cornelius and his friends would have wanted to hear more from Peter. Surprisingly, for my own “conversion” in May 1975 it was just the opposite – I had no one to stay behind a few days. My friend, Jim had graduated from college the day/evening that I gave my life to the Lord. I went to church with him the next day, then he was gone from college for good and Campus Crusade was inactive for the summer. Thankfully there were two “coincidences” in the next eight days that led immediately to my growth in the Lord. I won’t go into the details, but I’ve added those two “coincidences” to my “list”.
As to that “list” – I have been keeping a list of Holy Spirit activities or special events in my personal life. That list has three components: Miracles, God speaks to me, and Coincidences. That list now has more than 20 distinct events. I would encourage each and every one of you to think about keeping your own list. There are a number of sources in the Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles where we can read what Jesus had to say about the Holy Spirit (esp. John 14-16) and see the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of His disciples. Those descriptions and activities create for us a guideline to see the Holy Spirit at work in our own lives. You might be surprised when you start listing out particular events in your life that you might classify as miracles, coincidences, or God speaking to you. It will strengthen your faith to see God at work in you, personally!
See also: February 11 / Acts 10:24-33; February 12 / Acts 10:34-48