Lifestyle

4 Then Peter told them exactly what had happened. 5 “I was in the town of Joppa,” he said, “and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me. 6 When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of tame and wild animals, reptiles, and birds. 7 And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’
8 “‘No, Lord,’ I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean.
9 “But the voice from heaven spoke again: ‘Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’ 10 This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven
- Acts 11: 4-9

GOD is not a religion. GOD is a person, three persons as one being. Religion tell us about GOD but religion cannot fully explain the greatness of GOD. Religion gives us a set of tradition, rules, do's and don'ts. But it takes faith to know GOD. Faith cannot be measured by a set of do's and dont's. Faith are a strong conviction of GOD's leading in one's life. You will know GOD when you have faith and believe that He exists. There are many times that GOD does things which are not usual or traditional. But just because it's unusual, it doesn't mean it's wrong. GOD has set apart the Jewish people for Himself, chosing this kind of people to reveal Himself to the world. Jewish people are therefore set apart, more restricted of their lifestyle than that of a non-jewish person. They can only eat certain food, because GOD has taught them in the days of Moses what to eat, what feasts to celebrate and basically how a Chosen people should live. It is a lifestyle, not a choice. Faith is a lifestyle of knowing GOD, a daily choice to walk in His ways.

But Peter, a devoted man of GOD, Jewish and a disciple of Jesus Christ, has always followed the Jewish ways of living. That includes not eating certain kinds of animals for they were unclean before GOD. But GOD who is above the highest laws HE gave to man kind, gave Peter a vision, commanding him to eat that which was not a jewish person was not supposed to eat. At first, it was hard for Peter to accept because raised as a jew never questioned the ways GOD had commanded a jewish person should live. But now having received a completely different way of what he knew and was taught, he was confused whether the vision was really from GOD or not. GOD had to show him the vision thrice before he was finally convinced that it had been GOD speaking to him. But after obeying, Peter was blessed to find the Holy Spirit being poured out into the Gentiles as GOD has poured out HIS Spirit to the jewish people.

We should not question GOD's ways, no matter how unbelievable it is, the more we should all the more believe that such great things are from GOD. GOD cannot be put in a box, HE cannot be constricted or limited into a set of tradition or ways. HE will always be the highest law. What HE says is. When you receive something from GOD that is too great to comprehend, something unbelievable, unimaginible, then ask again. Don't close your mind because frail human minds cannot comprehend the greatness of this big creator of the Universe. Even the Universe, the vast space, cannot contain GOD how much more can our finite minds contain and understand the ways of GOD. It will take eternity to know GOD. Let everyday be a day to know GOD, a lifestyle of faith.