Tag: stay with the ship
Stay With the Ship!
Scripture reading for November 17th: Acts 27-28
When God has His hand on your life and you are in His will, He will care for you. This doesn’t mean that your life will be trouble free and that you will have clear sailing from start to finish! The health, wealth, and prosperity message may seem encouraging, but reality is sometimes different. God does take care of all our needs if we follow Him and listen along the way. He is working out His purposes, not ours!
Paul, in the custody of a Roman centurion named Julius, was taken by ship on the two thousand mile journey to appear in Rome before Caesar. This journey began in late fall, at the end of the shipping season and because of this faced some dangers from incoming early storms of the winter season. The journey was in several stages and the progress was slower than expected because of contrary winds that kept the ship from making progress. Paul warned the centurion and soldiers of the approaching dangers of sailing late in the season. Loss of life and cargo as well as the ship were probable. (Acts 27:9-11) The centurion ignored Paul and found another ship willing to sail on to a better harbor to winter in.
Things looked good when they set out, but soon a violent wind swept in and tossed the ship and its occupants. The ship was unable to be directed because of the wind and waves. The storm continued many days and they threw cargo overboard and lashed the ship with ropes to try to hold it together. They gave up all hope of being saved and refused to eat. At this point, Paul addressed the group and encouraged them with a word from the Lord. They would all be saved but the ship would run aground and be lost. God had spoken! (Acts 27:21-26)
On the fourteenth night of the storm, the sailors sensed they were approaching land. Some sailors attempted to escape by lifeboat, but Paul warned them they must stay with the ship. “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” (Acts 27:31) It turned out that all were saved and made it to land. Obedience to God is important. We must stay with the ship of Jesus Christ to be saved! There are no other lifeboats to take us safely to heaven’s shores!