Passage of the Day - February 26, 2011

Acts 27:39-44

 ³⁹When day came, they could not recognize the land; but they did observe a bay with a beach, and they resolved to drive the ship onto it if they could.

 ⁴⁰And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach.

 ⁴¹But striking a reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves.

 ⁴²The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape;

 ⁴³but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land,

 ⁴⁴and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.

Indirect, indirect, indirect!  You never know how God can indirectly use us.  The lives of the prisoners were spared because of Paul.  We have no idea the indirect impacts we make on the lives of others.  Our faithfulness to God can do great things to people two or three degrees removed from our spheres of influence.  Our sin can have similar but devastating effects.  Our impact on the world goes far beyond the people we come into contact with.  Oh, and yes, I did watch a lot of Quantum Leap growing up.

Scripture 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." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - February 25, 2011

Acts 27:27-38

²⁷But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to surmise that they were approaching some land.

 ²⁸They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms.

 ²⁹Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak.

 ³⁰But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the ship's boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow,

 ³¹Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved."

 ³²Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away.

 ³³Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing.

 ³⁴"Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish."

 ³⁵Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat.

 ³⁶All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food.

 ³⁷All of us in the ship were two hundred and seventy-six persons.

 ³⁸When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing out the wheat into the sea.

When we take our opportunity to get out of trouble or to payback others, we lose our opportunity to share God’s grace.  Again, Paul could have taken advantage of the situation, but rather he helped his captors.

Scripture 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." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - February 24, 2011

Acts 27:14-26

¹⁴But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo;

 ¹⁵and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along.

 ¹⁶Running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship's boat under control.

 ¹⁷After they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along.

 ¹⁸The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo;

 ¹⁹and on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.

 ²⁰Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.

 ²¹When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, "Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss.

 ²²"Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

 ²³"For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me,

 ²⁴saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.'

 ²⁵"Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.

 ²⁶"But we must run aground on a certain island."

It was Paul’s long desire to go to Rome for the sake of the gospel.  However, the path to get there has been fraught with pain, suffering, and disaster.  However, he never lost hope.  Paul was going to Rome as a prisoner, but he still wanted to go to Rome.  Paul showed great faith in this tumult.  This is what it means to be a Christian.  Being a Christian and trusting God doesn’t mean an easy path, but rather a clear, focused, brave, and strong mind and heart to endure and overcome hardship.  Terrible times WILL come, but will fear and despair rule your mind and heart, or will faith and hope?  That will depend on your foundation.

Also, sometimes you have to endure many nightmares before your dreams can come true.

Scripture 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." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - February 23, 2011

Acts 27:1-13

¹When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius.

 ²And embarking in an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica.

 ³The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care.

 ⁴From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary.

 ⁵When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.

 ⁶There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it.

 ⁷When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone;

 ⁸and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

 ⁹When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them,

 ¹⁰and said to them, "Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives."

 ¹¹But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul.

 ¹²Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

 ¹³When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.

Paul was given the wisdom to determine that this trip was going to end in disaster.  However, as often happens with wisdom, his words were ignored.  Not listening to wisdom is what has caused much of the pain in our world.  Not listening to wisdom is why many are not Christians.  People are more concerned with their pride and being right than being wise.  I know I have this problem. 

Scripture 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." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - February 22, 2011

Acts 26:24-32

 ²⁴While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad."

 ²⁵But Paul said, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth.

 ²⁶"For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.

 ²⁷"King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do."

 ²⁸Agrippa replied to Paul, "In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian."

 ²⁹And Paul said, "I would wish to God, that whether in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains."

 ³⁰The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them,

 ³¹and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, "This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment."

 ³²And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."

Forgive me, but nothing deep tonight.  I wonder what the mood of this discussion was.  I can't really give too much insight without knowing the mood.  The mood almost seems jovial.  Maybe I'm distracted by my sense of the mood.  Fortunately, the passage pretty much speaks for itself as far as content.

Scripture 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." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - February 21, 2011

Acts 26:9-23

 ⁹"So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

 ¹⁰"And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them.

 ¹¹"And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.

 ¹²"While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests,

 ¹³at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me.

 ¹⁴"And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'

 ¹⁵"And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

 ¹⁶'But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;

 ¹⁷rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you,

 ¹⁸to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'

 ¹⁹"So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,

 ²⁰but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

 ²¹"For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death.

 ²²"So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place;

 ²³that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

Faith, hope, and love are things that God gave us, but alone they are of little value.  Look at verse 18.  Here we see the culmination of faith, hope, and love.  What use is faith, if it isn’t faith in Truth?  What use is hope if it is in something with no Power?  What use is love if it is ultimately directed to the father of hate? 

The only true spiritual light is Truth.  Christ is Truth.  The only way to truly walk the minefield of life is with the lens that Christ and His Word provides.  Only with a biblical worldview and guidance of the Holy Spirit can we avoid Satan’s traps and mines.

Even if we have Truth, if we rely on our power or any other power to release us from Satan’s bondage we are fooling ourselves.  You can’t navigate the minefield of life if you are in chains.  Christ’s work on the cross saved us from the penalty of sin, but it is Christ’s work on our hearts that saves us from bondage to sin.  He chose to remove the chains.  This is why we can hope in His Power.

When we serve ourselves, we serve Satan.  The desire to do what is contrary to what God wants originates from Satan.  Every sin we commit advances the cause of Satan on Earth.  Whom do we love when we sin?  We end up loving Satan.  Love misdirected can cause great harm.  However loving God and obeying Him to advance His cause on Earth is our ultimate purpose.  It is the capstone of the trinity of life – faith in Truth, hope in Power, and loving the Lover.

Scripture 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." (http://www.lockman.org/)  

Passage of the Day - February 20, 2011

^{Acts 26:4-8}

⁴"So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem;

 ⁵since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion.

 ⁶"And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers;

 ⁷the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews.

 ⁸"Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?

You know, it seems as if the topic of the resurrection of the dead is the get out of jail free card for Paul.  It seems whenever he is in a bind he brings it up.  It was the great dividing force of Judaism back in his day.  What is interesting is that it is the great unifying force of Christianity.  Is there a denomination that doesn't believe in it?

Scripture 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." (http://www.lockman.org/)