Category: Devotions

Looking at the snake and not the Saviour

Acts 28:4 “When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”

We get a glimpse of why the islanders had probably shown unusual kindness.

“Poseidon, the king of all the sea gods must have allowed these battered and bruised seamen to be saved. However, the goddess Justice has now stepped in and this man is most likely a murderer, he wasn’t saved at all, he must have simply escaped death from Poseidon, but now Justice has caught up with him. Let’s watch him die.”

We hear this kind of thing all the time:

“He got what was coming to him.”

“There is little doubt that our assumptions are correct.”

“He deserves it.”

“There must be something wrong. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen.”

Today people may see the snake on your hand, they may see the danger that you are in and their assessment may be a million miles away from the truth.

The trial that you are facing today does not reveal your deeds of yesterday nor your future tomorrow.

If you are going to serve then you will meet the snake. People are going to misjudge you, misinterpret you, misquote you, misunderstand you, mishear you and misread you! They are going to miss it when it refers to you! They will do all this because their eyes are on the snake whilst your eyes are on your Saviour. Let people say whatever they want, you have not time to engage with them, to defend your position, to state your case. There is only thing you must do but that is for tomorrow’s blog!

The snake can live in the place where you serve

Acts 28:3 “Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.”

In a beautiful picture of servant-leadership we see the Apostle Paul doing what many could have done but didn’t. He helped to build and keep the fire going for everyone to get warm in the rain and the cold.

He had single-handedly held the morale of everyone on board together. He had tirelessly stood his ground because he knew God had called him to Rome. He had been alert to any plan the crew had for escape for he knew everyone would be saved. He encouraged where needed and gave advice even though it wasn’t received. Here he is serving the people. But look what happens … a snake is driven out from the fire and coils around his hand.

The lesson is that the trials will always continue. You are never immune from them. You have given everything, survived the storm, served as best as you can and literally poured out your life for others and even then a new trial can suddenly latch on to you. If the storm doesn’t kill you the snake will try its best. The snake is different to the storm because it will not give you any warnings, it will just launch at you from nowhere, when you least expected it to. You were doing your best and from within that act lurches the snake.

It attacked the servant hand that was helping others. The enemy of your soul will do all he can to cut off your impact to others.

We must be alert in every fire that we build. Others may be commenting on how beneficial it is and many other positive remarks. The picture may be a beautiful one. However, stay alert because from the most beautiful picture can come an enemy attack that will do its best to shut you down for good.

What have I learnt from trying to get ELIM UK to host ELIM GLOBAL?

Acts 28:2 “The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.”

Next week Elim UK will be hosting 100 Elim leaders from 32 nations over 2 weeks. My office has looked like a military war room as we have tried to plot flights, pick-ups, train and bus times and tickets, accommodation and schedules. Above all we have been working hard in contacting churches to host these leaders and for many at short notice as the leaders get news of their visa success.

I have often marvelled at the cultural hospitality found in so many places of the world. I have been shown such kindness, honour and love from people who do not have much at all. But what about my own culture, does my own people have the same kindness? I have learnt:

• To host people in your home is an honour.
• Hospitality is a gift and when it is seen it is an astonishingly beautiful act.
• Our homes belong to God.

The soldiers and prisoners land on Malta, the island name means refuge and the islanders did not disappoint.

• They showed unusual, extraordinary (Amplified) kindness. In the process of finding UK hosts my office has marvelled at the people who have gone the extra mile. We only asked for one thing but then they have said ‘but we will also do this, we will transport from here to there, is there anything else you need?’ When that happened I would be amazed. Why? Because it was extraordinary, it wasn’t usual, it was unusual, it was surprising hospitality.
• They welcomed everyone. It would have been understandable for the islanders to welcome the centurion, Julius, or his soldiers, but they welcomed everyone which included the prisoners too. It is easy being hospitable to nice people or people of good standing. This is why it was incredible hosting. In the organising of this event I knew certain UK hosts would have certain global leaders because they are already friends. But to see people say we will gladly take care of people who don’t speak our language and are not the same as us culturally has been a blessing.
• They did what was needed. Everyone was rain-soaked and it was still raining, they were all cold and the islanders knew what they should do, they built a fire to keep everyone warm. “You should have heard what he said?” That’s what I said as I came off the phone from one UK Pastor agreeing to host.“What do you need? We will do whatever is necessary!” Life is easy with such people! When people are cold you need a fire built. When people are coming you don’t need cheer-leaders at the airport you need people with cars at the airport. When people are coming on to our island you don’t need a map of good guest houses you need houses that will be open for guests. When people arrive you don’t need promises for the future, “Not this time but count us in next time”, you need help now.

That’s what I have learnt!

Arrivals lounge

Acts 28:1 “Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.”

The Message: Once everyone was accounted for and we realized we had all made it, we learned that we were on the island of Malta.

Amplified: After we were safe on land, we found out that the island was called Malta.

You may not know where you are today, that will come later, but you made it. You got through this last chapter, you survived the storm and though you are rain-soaked, battered and bruised, you are safe.

Sometimes knowing where you are not is all that is needed. I am not on the sea anymore. I am not in the place of fear, of darkness, of being tossed about, manipulated by forces that are unpredictable and stronger than me. “I am not there anymore. I am saved from that place.”

The next thing to happen will be you will compass your life, you will find out where that storm really took you, but for now, the main thing is you made it.

You will get there!

Acts 27:44 “The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.”

In verse 24 Paul had said to everyone on board the ship that they would be saved.

In the end that is what happened, not because Paul had said it, but because God had decreed it.

Whatever God orders is what gets delivered.

We can be content today knowing He has planned and spoken into being our life, the ordaining of our days and it will come to pass just as He said.

You may not have thought you would have to end up grasping hold of planks of wood and parts of the ship but you are saved.

You may not have thought you could be saved if the ship broke up, but you were.

There are many parts of the circumstance of life that you never expected and you have many questions and fewer answers, but one day you will get to the shore and you will enter the fullness of His salvation for you will have arrived not in Malta but in your eternal home.

 

Friends in high places

Acts 27: 42 “But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.”

Why did the centurion, Justin, want to spare Paul’s life? Paul was a Roman citizen. In the bedlam the soldiers thought it best to kill everyone but to kill Paul would have got the soldiers into a great deal of trouble with Caesar.

But why didn’t Justin just order the prisoners to be killed and Paul’s life to be spared?

It has to be because Paul had said that everyone would be saved and he had found favour with the Centurion.

Finding favour with man is a blessing from God.

Look around at how God has orchestrated your friendships, your contacts, who He has brought into your life for such a time as this. They are planted there for you and for others, for His plan in your life. Maybe we should embrace the people around us more for they could end up proving to be vital to our lives.

Common sense

Acts 27:42 “The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping”

Sometimes common sense isn’t wisdom.

If these prisoners escaped then according to the Roman law the soldiers guarding them would be responsible and would face the penalty that the prisoners should have faced and for some that would have been death.

Common sense said:

1. When given the chance all prisoners swim away to try and escape.
2. You are going to die anyway so you might as well die now.
3. I am not going to suffer whilst you live.

Just because a plan makes sense doesn’t make it the best plan. If wisdom comes from God then we need to ask Him for wisdom. Common sense comes from earth. Often it is good but sometimes it isn’t the wisdom we need.

Watch out for the sandbars!

Acts 27:41 “But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.”

Watch out for the sandbar, it is not what it looks like. It is not the beach.

It is between 2 stretches of water; the sea, then something that looks like a beach and then more sea.

Many coastguards will have stories of people having to be rescued on a sandbar and some even not being reached in time.

Don’t jump quickly to the conclusion, just because there is sand that doesn’t make it a beach. Not everything that you see and hear is what you think you see and hear.

Try not to be deceived it usually leads to a messy end.

It may look insecure but it will take you to security.

Acts 27:40 “Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.”

Cutting loose the anchors.

Leaving the anchors in the sea.

Untying ropes that held the rudders.

Getting the ship to move forward in this storm.

All of what they did sounds very insecure to me.

But in order to secure their future they moved into insecurity.

There are times when you have to take your foot off the bottom in order to swim.

You have to apply for the job to step into your new future.

You have to let go of the hold of a loved one to become all you can be.

You were created to move and perhaps today you have to step into insecurity to secure your life.

Blinded to what is dangerous and beautiful.

Acts 27:39 “When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.”

Last year I visited St Pauls bay in Malta, a beautiful place which hid its stormier past. You would not recognise it as the place where this storm and battered ship had gone aground on the beach.

Luke writes that they did not recognise it was Malta. They only saw land and headed for it.

The point is this:

Post storm it is sometimes hard to recognise and accept the difficulty what people have gone through.

But in the storm it is hard to recognise anything good that will come through this tough experience.

Blindness occurs in everyone at some point.