The Prisoner Housed (Acts 28:16)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/6/2018 11:19 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  The Prisoner Housed

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 28:16

 

            Message of the verses:  “16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.”

 

            As we have been following this last section in the book of Acts that tells of what happened to Paul after his third missionary journey we can see that for the most there has been understanding by those who are watching him while either in prison or being transported to Rome, and not as we look at verse sixteen we see some similar things happening as he is allowed “to stay by himself with the soldier who was guarding him.”  When we look at verse 20 we see that the soldier was chained to Paul’s wrist.  The question is “how would you like to be chained to the wrist of the apostle Paul?”  Well as we read some of Paul’s letters we see that some of those soldiers became believers.

 

            As we look at this short passage we can see several ways in which God blesses those who are His faithful servants.

 

1.     God surrounds his faithful servants with kindness as seen with Julius who showed Paul kindness by allowing him to go ashore in Sidon.  Those who were on the island of Malta also showed greatness to Paul while living there.

2.     As we once again look at Paul’s situation on Malta we see that he was given a place to stay, similar to what we read in 28:14 “14  There we found some brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus we came to Rome.”

3.     God encouraged Paul in through that awful storm of two weeks when no one thought they would get through it, as God sent an angel to minister to him and tell him all on board the ship would be spared.

4.     God delivered Paul from harm from the storm and also from the snakebite.

5.     God blesses their influence.  Paul greatly affected those who survived the storm and shipwreck.  Through Paul’s and others like Luke there was probably a church that began on Malta.

6.     Paul was blessed by God as He delivered Paul to Rome, something he longed for, for many years.  He did it in His timing and along the way gave Paul many blessings, blessings that he would not have received if he would have gone there all by himself.

 

            Proverbs 28:20 actually sums it up in the promise “a faithful man will abound with blessing.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I desire to be like Paul, a faith man for the cause of Christ.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord as I teach Sunday school class tomorrow, that what is taught will bring glory to the Lord as I trust the Lord in my preparation to teach this class.

 

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “A colt” (Luke 19:30).

 

Today’s Bible question:  “Who said ‘Lord if You are willing, You can make me clean’?”

 

Answer in our next SD.

 

10/6/2018 11:43 AM