PRaP
1/17/08
“Shipwrecked”
The
Lord put me in Acts 27 and 28 today and these chapters are about Paul’s trip
to Rome after his appeal to Caesar when he was accused by the Jews of crimes he
did not commit. Paul warned the
centurion and the pilot of the boat that they would be shipwrecked if they
sailed on but they didn’t believe him. Is
this how you sail through your short life? A ship destined for a sand bar in a storm?
When you get a message from a man or woman of God do you shrug it off?
Well as they were sailing in this storm an Angel of God came to Paul and
told him that He would spare their lives and when Paul told them about this they
did what Paul told them to and all 276 people survived the shipwreck.
It took some faith to trust Paul and in their storm they began to
believe. Is that what it takes for
you to believe? A hurricane force
wind that pushes you 14 days and nights. They
were obviously in a big boat with 276 men aboard along with provisions and cargo
and they thought it safe to sail in any condition.
They used 4 anchors to try and keep the boat on a steady course so you
know the boat was probably huge and heavy.
In the end the boat was dashed to pieces on the sand bar they had run
aground on. Do you wait until your
ship is stuck in the sand being pounded by the storms of life before you
believe? Look at the headlines in
the paper today. Do you think we
are in a stormy sea on a ship about to hit the rocks?
I think so. It is time to
get your house in order. Eat until
you are full and then toss the rest overboard to help lighten to weight of this
ship. Throw over all the cargo so
we will have a chance to get to the sand bar and not the rocks. Cut the anchor lines and untie the rudder so we can head over
to the safe haven of the sandy beach. God
sent His Angel down and told me that everything will be ok for those of us who
have a relationship with His Son Jesus. He
also told me that many will come but not all will be saved because they still
don’t believe. Come and walk with
me on the sandy beach of life and watch as two sets of footsteps become one.
Key
Verses:
Acts
27:13-26 (New
International Version)
The
Storm
13When
a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they
wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14Before
very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept
down from the island. 15The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into
the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16As we passed to the lee
of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure.
17When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to
hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis,
they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18We took such a
violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo
overboard. 19On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their
own hands. 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm
continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
21After
the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said:
"Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you
would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22But now I urge you to keep
up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be
destroyed. 23Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood
beside me 24and 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.'
25So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just
as he told me. 26Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."
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PEACE
and AGAPE LOVE, Pastor, Dad, DJ Dude
From
The Desk Of:
Pastor
Stephen Eldridge
christian_connection_ministry_me@yahoo.com
c2C
http://www.c2cministry.org
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