“Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’“
~ Acts 27:23-24/NIV
As we read through Acts (Holy Bible), we see that Paul was on a mission. The further you read into this book, you understand some of the people around him did not appreciate Paul’s efforts to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. The people who opposed his views and statements were Jewish brethren and the Roman elite who did not believe in Jesus nor the associated message of salvation through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Despite this challenge and many others, Paul was on a mission and unstoppable.
Reading in the focal passage (Acts 27:23-24), we see that Paul had a visit from an angelic being who offered words of encouragement. As Paul was a prisoner sailing to Rome to plead his innocence before Caesar, the ship he was sailing on encountered many days of bad weather and rough seas. As Paul had received a message from God offering hope, Paul informs the fellow mariners to keep their courage, and the ship must run aground on some island (Acts 27:25-26). Interesting that a prisoner is telling the mariners what to do! He had faith and confidence.
Paul had much confidence in doing the Lord’s work because of his faith. Knowing that Paul had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. He had the gift of performing miracles, and an angel visited him during a perilous time to provide a message from God – it is very understandable why his faith was so strong! How can we have such strong faith when we have not had these remarkable experiences? A suggestion about building your faith would be to consider the verses explored today.
Paul knew that he belonged to God, and he actively served Him with confidence, knowing that his success was ensured. Paul knew his mission was to spread the Good News to an audience that would eventually include Caesar’s most powerful leader in the known world. I believe Paul knew his days on earth were numbered and why and he was fine with that awareness because his priorities put God first and what else mattered. Paul knew “absent from the body” would mean “present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Knowing it can only get better would motivate me to keep doing the Lord’s work!
Self-reflection consideration: Is my faith strong enough to, without question, do the work that God has placed before me to do?
Many blessings to you!
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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