“And
so we came to Rome.” Acts 28:14
The Apostle Paul, his companions, and the ship’s
crew stayed on the island of Malta for three months. After the danger of winter had passed, they “put out to sea in an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and
Pollux”(Acts 28:11). But even after all this delay, their trip was not a
non-stop sail to Rome. They harbored and
hung out at Syracuse for three days; they arrived at Rhegium and anchored; the
next day they were blown by a south wind to Puteoli where they “found some brothers who invited them to
spend a week with them” (Acts 28:14).
And so finally, after many stops, storm, shipwreck, snakebite, south
wind, smooth sailing, and side trip, “we
came to Rome”(Acts 28:15).
If God’s purpose for Paul’s journey had been only
the destination, the trip could nearly be declared a disaster and certainly
described as a debacle, but the purpose of the journey isn’t just about being
there; it’s a lot about getting there. I
write these words with a heavy heart as I grieve with the family of dear friend
whose earth-journey ended yesterday morning.
By God’s grace, he was perfectly prepared to arrive at his final
destination, and though the timing seems many years too soon on our end, our
friend left a lot of legacy while “getting there.”
He loved his lady with a strong and steadying
passion. He held her and helped her
through the loss of parents, friends, and several unborn babies. He delighted in the birth of their only child
and was pouring his life into shaping their son to be a Godly man. Words were not many with my friend, but when
he spoke, he said much. He served, led, and
prayed for his church, and he loved Jesus in real life. One quality I will always remember is that he
never seemed to be in a hurry—with his actions, attitudes, or responses. He didn’t rush the journey, but simply
accepted each stage as it came and made the most of it. Some might say that such an outlook means you
don’t do much, but, actually, it means you don’t miss much. My friend did not.
Our journey to heaven is not a non-stop sail, and
we are not told our arrival time. But
this is what we know: we’re on the right
boat, we will encounter stops, storms, shipwrecks, snakebites, south wind,
smooth sailing, and several side trips along the way, and at just the right
time (for our God is never wrong), we will safely and securely reach our final
destination. As you travel, remember
that it’s not just about being there, it’s a lot about getting there.
God will get you
where you’re supposed to go.
Don’t miss the much
along the way.
When
this happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.” Acts 28:9
Word gets
around. But which word? Usually the negative, but the positive gets
passed on as well—if we’ll talk.
Someone on Malta did. After a poisonous snakebite caused him no
harm, Paul was hailed as a “god” and welcomed to the home of Publius, the
island’s chief official. For three days
Paul was “entertained hospitably,”
but he did more than just eat and drink.
He healed the official’s father who was “sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer,
placed his hands on him and healed him. When this happened, the rest of the
sick on the island came and were cured”(Acts 28:8-9). The only way the “rest of the sick on the island” knew to come and be cured was that
they heard about the miraculous healing of Publius’ dad. Somebody (or much more likely, somebodies)
was/were talking—spreading the word that something wonderful had happened. Because those who knew the truth were willing
to tell the truth, many were blessed.
Don’t keep your mouth
shut when God does something wonderful.
Good news gets
around. Share some today.
“Paul
gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out
by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.”
Acts 28:3
Shipwreck or Snakebite?? Which would you choose? As we offer a collective, “Neither!” we hear
Paul answer back, “How ‘bout both?”
Safely on shore after surviving a terrible storm,
Paul was trying to be helpful when he encountered a serpent. The inhabitants of Shipwreck Island (actually
known at Malta) had welcomed the soaked sailors with “unusual kindness” and built a fire because it was raining and
cold(Acts 28:2). “Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a
viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand”(Acts 28:3).
Immediately everyone thought the worst—Paul would
die and he deserved it. “When the islanders saw the snake hanging
from his hand they said to each other, ‘This man must be a murderer; for though
he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live’”(Acts 28:4). The words from their mouths would have been
in our minds, but the dangling reptile didn’t faze Paul at all. He simply shook off the snake and kept on
ticking. And everyone else kept on
waiting and watching, sure that Paul would “swell
up or suddenly fall dead”(Acts 28:6). When he didn’t, the islanders changed
their minds and declared him deity!
Shipwrecks, snakebites, assumed justice, and
miraculous “just fine.” This crazy story
should do more than make us chuckle and shake our heads; it should strengthen
our hearts—especially if we’re the ones still dripping with sea water and
already feeling the fangs. Troubles
sometimes come on top of each other, and just when we think we’re safe, we’re
slammed again. We can’t always do as Paul did and just
shake it off and feel no ill effects(Acts 28:5), but we can be certain that as
we trust God and rely on His strength, those who are watching and waiting to
see what will happen won’t be able to miss His divine and miraculous power in
our lives.
Don’t live in fear of
shipwrecks or snakes. Or both.
They are simply parts
of the journey where God shows His power.
“Everyone
reached land safely.” Acts 27:44
God graciously gave Paul the lives of all who sailed
with him, but He didn’t promise to
calm the storm or keep the ship intact.
Paul was honest about the bad news, “We
must run aground on some island”(Acts 27:26), but he reminded the sailors
of the good news, “Not one of you will
lose a single hair from his head”(Acts 27:34).
And they didn’t.
Although their vessel “struck a
sandbar and ran aground, and the bow stuck fast and would not move, and the
stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf”(Acts 27:41), all
276 on board made it safely to shore.
Those who could swim jumped overboard first, and the rest held on for
dear life to “planks or pieces of the
ship”(Acts 27:44) and floated to dry land.
You will make it safely to shore also. When the winds and waves of life leave you
scared and unsteady, you can be sure your soul will survive. You might get there swimming strong or you might
get there hanging on, but because of God’s grace, you can know that you will
never sink. “I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John
10:28).
As you travel through life, expect raging storms
and crumbling ships, but be certain of safe passage. All the way home.
“Keep
up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he
told me.” Acts 27:25
Experts say we should exercise to upbeat music,
but this morning as I was jogging, a song of slow tempo shuffled from my ipod into
my ears. I started to skip it, but I
didn’t. I couldn’t. The words were too reassuring and certain. “Tis so
sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word. Just to rest upon His promise, just to know
‘Thus saith the Lord.’”
God will do what He says He will do. I know I say that a lot, but God says it a
lot. Over and over in His Word He
repeats and reminds that He keeps His word, and He wants us to believe Him—even
when things are bad.
As the wind blew, waves crashed, and storm raged,
Paul assured the tired and terrified sailors that God had sent word that none
of them would die, and Paul was sure of it.
“So keep up your courage, men, for
I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me”(Acts 27:25). Paul’s
faith counted God’s promise as fact. And
with good reason—God has never failed. The
same can be said today (and every tomorrow) which was stated in Joshua after
the Israelites had conquered the land of Canaan. “Not
one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one
was fulfilled”(Josh 21:45). God has
said much in His Word about what He will do in us, for us, and with us. He has promised us His presence and a place
with Him now and forever, and “it will
happen just as he told.” Life is
sweet when we rest on His promise and rely on His “Thus saith the Lord.”
Keep
the faith.
God
will keep His word.
“Oh for grace
to trust Him more.”
“Men, you should have
taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves
this damage and loss.” Acts 27:2
“Told you so.” Nobody
wants to hear it, but everybody likes to say it. Even the Apostle Paul.
Many days into a raging storm that threatened to tear their
ship apart, Paul stood up and said to the sailors, “I told you so!” Actually he said, “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you
would have spared yourselves this damage and loss”(Acts 27:22). Same
thing—just different words that both mean “I was right, and you were
wrong.”
Surely the sailors wanted to stop up their ears and shut
Paul’s mouth. For almost two weeks the
howling wind and heaving waves of a hurricane force storm called a
“northeaster”(Acts 27:14) had driven their ship through the angry sea. Battered and beaten, the cargo had been
tossed and the tackle thrown overboard to lighten the load, but “when neither sun nor stars appeared for
many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being
saved”(Acts 27:20).
Just about then Paul stood up and gave his speech. “I told you so,” he said, but thankfully he
didn’t stop there. He continued on and
urged the men to keep up their courage because “not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed”(Acts
27:22). He told them how the night
before God’s angel had shown up 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 27:24). By that point,
Paul’s “know better” had become “God knows best,” and instead of irritating,
his words were inspiring.
His example is instructive.
Unless you can follow your “I told you so” with something good that God
has said, just keep your mouth shut.
Especially in the storms.
“Julius,
in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for
his needs.” Acts 27:3
Co-dependent.
None of us wants that word said of us. We think it reeks of weakness, neediness, and
fragility. Instead, we want to know—and
we want others to know—that we are competent, capable, self-assured, and
self-sufficient. But we are not. Though we may present a convincing façade of
independence, even our next breath depends on someone else, so it’s time we got
over ourselves and embraced our dependence on God and on each other.
The Apostle Paul had
needs. He wasn’t afraid to say so, and
he wasn’t too proud to go get help.
After his presentation to King Agrippa, Paul and “some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius…and
put out to sea” toward Rome(Acts
27:1). When the boat docked in
Sidon, “Julius, in kindness to Paul,
allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs”(Acts
27:3). Paul could have stayed on the
ship and pretended to be independent, but he would have missed out on receiving
God’s blessing and his friends would have missed out on being a blessing.
So, the next time you need something, let somebody
know. Get off the boat and into God’s blessings. We were created in Christ to love each
other(Jn 13:34), honor each other(Rom 12:10), live in harmony with one
another(Rom 12:16), accept each other(Rom 15:7), instruct each other(Rom
15:14), serve one another(Gal 5:13), forgive each other(Eph 4:32), encourage
each other(1 Thess 5:11), pray for each other(James 5:16), carry each other’s
burdens(Gal 5:2), and look out for each other’s interests(Phil 2:4). We’re better together than we could ever be
by ourselves, and it’s not a bad thing to know so, say so, and live so.
Only when we are completely dependent on God’s
grace and co-dependent on each other’s goodness will the world clearly see the
sufficiency of Christ—the only One who can supply all that all of us need.
