{"id":2198,"date":"2020-05-06T08:01:51","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T16:01:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2198"},"modified":"2020-05-06T08:01:51","modified_gmt":"2020-05-06T16:01:51","slug":"devotion-acts-2713-26-i-believeeven-though-its-silly-i-believe-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2198","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 27:13-26 I Believe\u2026Even Though It\u2019s Silly, I Believe Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 27:13-26<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.<\/span>\u00a014\u00a0<\/span>Before very long, a wind of hurricane force,\u00a0called the Northeaster, swept down from the island.<\/span>\u00a015\u00a0The ship was caught by the storm and\u00a0<\/span>could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.<\/span>\u00a016\u00a0As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat\u00a0secure,<\/span>\u00a017\u00a0so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground\u00a0on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor\u00a0and let the ship be driven along.<\/span>\u00a018\u00a0We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.<\/span>\u00a019\u00a0On the third day, they threw the ship\u2019s tackle overboard with their own hands.<\/span>\u00a020\u00a0When\u00a0<\/span>neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging,<\/span>\u00a0we finally\u00a0<\/span>gave up all hope of being saved.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>21\u00a0After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: \u201cMen, you should have taken my advice\u00a0not to sail from Crete;\u00a0then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.<\/span>\u00a022\u00a0<\/span>But now I urge you to keep up your courage,<\/span>\u00a0because\u00a0<\/span>not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.<\/span>\u00a023\u00a0Last night\u00a0<\/span>an angel\u00a0of the God<\/span>\u00a0to whom I belong and whom I serve\u00a0stood beside me<\/span>\u00a024\u00a0and said,\u00a0<\/span>\u2018Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar;\u00a0and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.\u2019<\/span>\u00a025\u00a0So keep up your courage,\u00a0men, for\u00a0<\/span>I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.<\/span>\u00a026\u00a0Nevertheless, we must run aground\u00a0on some island.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWe took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.\u00a0\u00a0On the third day, they threw the ship\u2019s tackle overboard with their own hands.<\/i><\/span>\u00a020\u00a0When\u00a0<\/span>neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging,<\/span>\u00a0we finally\u00a0<\/span>gave up all hope of being saved.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0It becomes obvious that when they threw their cargo overboard, when they essentially threw their money overboard, that they were seriously afraid.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They also threw the ships equipment overboard.\u00a0\u00a0Circumstances, even for these experienced sailors were desperate.\u00a0\u00a0They were in a frightening situation.\u00a0\u00a0But we know who was not afraid.\u00a0\u00a0Paul, who was only there because God had guided him there, was not afraid.\u00a0\u00a0Paul was not afraid, not because of what He knew, but because of who He knew and what He had said to him. The knowledge and experience of the sailors had been exhausted.\u00a0\u00a0Unlike Paul, they were terrified.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, they thought they were going to die.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: \u201cMen, you should have taken my advice\u00a0not to sail from Crete;\u00a0then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.<\/i><\/span>\u00a022\u00a0<\/span>But now I urge you to keep up your courage,<\/span>\u00a0because\u00a0<\/span>not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cNo-one likes a \u2018told-you-so\u2019\u201d Yet it was appropriate this time.\u00a0\u00a0Paul was pointing out their error in going with the advice of mere men rather than the advice of someone who had a message from God.\u00a0\u00a0He was not doing it to bring himself glory, but to point them to the incomparable, the always right, counsel of God.\u00a0\u00a0It was time to testify of God, of Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0Paul did not waste opportunities.<\/p>\n

Paul was telling them that all this waste, all this danger, all this fear, could have been avoided if only they had harkened to what he had said as guided by God. Yet, Paul sets a good example for all of us, and especially parents.\u00a0\u00a0It is not good to merely say \u201cI told you so,\u201d but with the admonition to always have good news following.\u00a0\u00a0We should not only point out error but then we should give hope.\u00a0\u00a0Paul did that as he told them to not worry because none on board would die.\u00a0\u00a0The ship would be lost, but none on board.\u00a0\u00a0It reminds us that sin has consequences, but God has provided the remedy.\u00a0\u00a0The curse from original sin was that the body and spirit of man would die.\u00a0\u00a0The remedy was the person and work of Jesus, to save our souls.\u00a0\u00a0Our body, like the ship, must die.\u00a0\u00a0The things of this world will still perish.\u00a0\u00a0But what is of highest value to God, that being our very souls, are saved.\u00a0\u00a0But there is a condition here (we shall see) and the condition for the salvation of our souls is that there is only one way to receive it and that through Jesus our Savior and Lord.\u00a0\u00a0(John 14:6, Acts 12<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night\u00a0<\/i><\/span>an angel\u00a0of the God<\/i><\/span>\u00a0to whom I belong and whom I serve\u00a0stood beside me<\/i><\/span>\u00a024\u00a0and said,\u00a0<\/span>\u2018Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar;\u00a0and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.\u2019<\/span>\u00a025\u00a0So keep up your courage,\u00a0men, for\u00a0<\/span>I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.<\/span>\u00a026\u00a0Nevertheless, we must run aground\u00a0on some island.<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Now these pagan sailors were probably thinking \u201cWho does this guy think he is? Okay, he said we shouldn\u2019t sail and he got that right, but we can see the danger we are in and so can he.\u00a0\u00a0Who is he to say that we all will live?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0They got their answer.\u00a0\u00a0Paul, as he had been with the initial warning, was speaking not from his own thoughts or wild imagination, but as God, the God of all, had revealed to him.\u00a0\u00a0God sent an angel to deliver God\u2019s message.\u00a0\u00a0The angel reminded Paul that God had said that Paul would stand before Caesar and so he would.\u00a0\u00a0Therefore this danger would not destroy the plans of God.\u00a0\u00a0Paul will live and testify before Caesar just as God had said.\u00a0\u00a0And the lives of these men are saved for the sake of Paul.\u00a0\u00a0We know God does such things just as we read in the exchange between Abraham and the Lord (Genesis 18<\/b>).\u00a0\u00a0I know that the Lord has blessed others because in doing so He was blessing me.\u00a0\u00a0They were blessed because I was blessed.\u00a0\u00a0God does that for all of us.\u00a0\u00a0Those in the same ship with us, have received not \u201ccollateral damage\u201d but collateral blessings.\u00a0\u00a0God is so good and He loves us!<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul not only reminded them that the warning he had given to them had come true, but He gave the reason why he knew of the danger coming.\u00a0\u00a0And, to further strengthen the truth of his relationship with the Lord, he told them that God had said that He would save their lives.\u00a0\u00a0The phrasing, it is thought, implies that Paul was likely praying for his shipmates and so, being gracious to Paul, in answer to his prayers, the Lord would save the lives of his shipmates.\u00a0\u00a0Isn\u2019t God so good!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Family, the Holy Spirit could have whisked Paul from the ship and let it, and all aboard perish, but He did not.\u00a0\u00a0Yes, God is good all the time!\u00a0\u00a0Yet sin and disobedience have a price and it did for them.\u00a0\u00a0Not only did they have to throw their profit overboard, but the very ship by which they made their profit would be destroyed.\u00a0\u00a0Yet, we can be sure, the sailors were happy that their lives would be spared.<\/span><\/p>\n

God loves us and protects us.\u00a0\u00a0He keeps us from danger, He is with us in dangers, and should it be time to die, He brings us home to Him.\u00a0\u00a0Family, we cannot lose.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cFor to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0Philippians 1:21<\/b>\u00a0\u201cDeath has lost its sting so we need not fear it.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0(1 Corinthians 15:55<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0\u201c<\/span>If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.<\/i>\u201d (Romans 5:8<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Family we cannot lose.\u00a0\u00a0We are in a win-win situation.\u00a0\u00a0We serve the Lord while we\u2019re here and are overjoyed to do so.\u00a0\u00a0We walk with the Lord here and continue with the Lord into eternity.\u00a0\u00a0There is only winning, there is no losing.\u00a0\u00a0We above all, have reason to celebrate God in all circumstances.\u00a0\u00a0We, above all, are\u2026winning!<\/p>\n

P<\/b><\/span>salm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.<\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; and what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.<\/p>\n

Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 27:13-26\u00a0–\u00a0When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.\u00a014\u00a0Before very long, a wind of hurricane force,\u00a0called the Northeaster, swept down from the island.\u00a015\u00a0The ship was caught by the storm and\u00a0could not head into the wind; so we gave way to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,129,1865,100,94,1874,1871,17,10],"class_list":["post-2198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-corinthians","tag-genesis","tag-john","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-philippians","tag-psalm","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2199,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2198\/revisions\/2199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}