Never give up
Acts 28:11-16
11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
Paul’s missionary journey continues, from Malta, to what is now known as Sicily, then onto Rome, where finally he had arrived at a destination that fulfilled what the Lord has spoken of. If we go back to Acts 23:11 “The following night the Lord stood by him (Paul) and said, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”
Through all the hardship that Paul endured to get to Rome, including plots to have him killed, being shipwrecked after a perfect storm that lasted over two weeks, then being bitten by a deadly snake, he had arrived.
This makes me ponder the faith that Paul showed through these events, knowing that God had a purpose for him at a very important destination … the most powerful city in the world of that time.
I so admire his determination. He never gave up, or considered these harsh events in his journey as anything but stumbling blocks, not stone walls.
I am challenged as I write this, of the journey I am on. 2016 has not been the easiest of years for me, and yet it is part of the journey that God has, and is orchestrating.
Father, may I trust You more, and always be mindful that by remaining in You, the journey is not necessarily easy, but is as You design for me, for Your purpose. Amen
Written by Steve Fell
