June 12, 2018
The angel 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.” Acts 27:24
Don’t be so quick to
leave - One Christian may be the only protection in a family, a business, even a
town!
Paul was wrongly accused, beaten,
jailed for years, and put on a boat to head to Rome to face Caesar for a crime
he didn’t commit. He was surrounded by
soldiers, sailors and criminals – none of which cared about his predicament,
and most of which were not concerned about God.
That was, until they faced a storm that threatened their lives. Then Paul became an important person on the
ship, and his leadership and influence protected 275 people from death. One man’s faith affected the entire ship, and
saved everyone there. The influence and
presence of a faithful believer protects many around them.
That may also be true with
Christians in the workforce, those feeling alone in a marriage or family, and
even those who are persecuted in towns and villages all around the world. Believers are a light of the world, a
reflection of the true light of Jesus. And
often their presence is enough to delay judgment on people around them.
You may recall the story of Lot in
the book of Genesis. His presence in the
town of Sodom held back the judgment of God until the angels finally pulled him
and the family out. Or think back to the
story of Esther. Her faithfulness was
all God needed to save the entire nation of Jews from destruction. Or one of my favorite examples isn’t even a
human… it’s the story of Balaam’s donkey, who ended up protecting Balaam from
the sword of the Lord, and by doing so led to the protection of the Jewish
nation. The impact one believer can have
is tremendous!
That’s why we should consider
carefully what God wants from us BEFORE abandoning ship in our families, or the
company we work for, or the church we serve, or even the town we live in. Don’t be so quick to leave. Make certain you are not jumping ship for
selfish reasons, but instead waiting on God to direct you away. You may be the influence God wants to use to
save lives! Just because the storm is
raging now doesn’t mean the job is done.
Wait and listen for God, letting Him tell you when to leave, and what to
do.
I’m afraid that comfort and cash
have lured people away from calling way too often in the Kingdom. It always saddens me to hear of ministers
jumping from church to church because of the salary offered instead of the calling
confirmed. Too many people pick up and
move to more comfortable locations for their jobs or their homes in order to enjoy
their lives more than save lives.
Certainly God may call people to new situations, and sometimes even
enjoyable ones (I’m still waiting to hear God send us to a megachurch in
Hawaii!), but be more interested in reaching the lives around us than the
comforts somewhere else.
Paul became God’s man to save the
captain and everyone on the ship. How
might God be using you to protect those around you?
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