SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/30/2018
8:41 PM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-4 “The Shipwreck”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
27:27-44
Message of the
verses: We actually finished
commenting on all of the verses in the 27th chapter of the book of
Acts and so I promised to post the quote from John MacArthur’s commentary as he
comments on what we can learn from this section of Scripture. It is important to find out exactly what it
to be learned and put into practice after studying a portion of Scripture, and
as mentioned many times in our comments on the book of Acts that the book of
Acts does not have a lot of theology in it, but tells the story of the early
church and how the Lord, through His Holy Spirit caused the church to begin and
to then move on. It begins in Jerusalem
and then the book of Acts will end in Rome, and from there it will end up being
available to go around the known world.
“Looking back over this dramatic episode in Paul’s life,
several key principles of true biblical leadership can be clearly seen.
“First, a leader is trusted. Paul was an important prisoner, whose escape
or death would have meant serious trouble for Julius. Yet somehow during the brief journey from
Caesarea to Sidon, Paul convinced the centurion that he could be trusted. Julius therefore let him leave the ship to be
ministered to by the Christians there.
“Second, a leader takes the imitative. At the council at Fair Havens, Paul, although
prisoner, did not hesitate to give his advice.
“Third, a leader uses good judgment. Had the centurion and sailors heeded Paul’s
sound advice, they would have been spared a terrible ordeal—and the loss of the
ship.
“Fourth, a leader speaks with authority. In the midst of the raging storm, Paul
confident assertion that all on board would be saved must have seemed like
madness. But his unshakable confidence
in God’s Word caused him to speak out boldly.
Paul also called others to obedience; he was the one who prevented the
sailors from abandoning the rest of the passengers (v.31).
“Fifth, a leader strengthens, others. Paul three times encouraged the terrified
passengers and crew (vv. 22, 25, 34)—twice not to lose hope and once to
eat. His calmness, confidence, and
optimistic trust in God also reassured the others.
“Sixth, a leader never compromises his absolutes. Paul prevented the crew from prematurely
abandoning the ship. God had said that
all would be saved, but all must remain together, and Paul refused to
compromise on that instruction.
“Seventh, and most important, a leader leads by
example. Believing God would do exactly
as He said, Paul set an example for the others by remaining calm and
confident. Realizing they needed to eat
before attempting to get ashore, Paul ‘took bread and gave thanks to God in the
presence of all; and he broke it and began to eat’ (v. 35). His example motivated the others, ‘and they
themselves also took food’ (v. 36).
“These timeless principles of leadership, manifested in
the midst of appalling circumstances, reveal Paul as the godly leader he
was. They must characterize every leader
who wishes to effectively lead God’s people.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Aaron” (Exodus 32:2).
Today’s Bible
question: “Where did Moses go when he
fled from Pharaoh?
Answer in our next SD.
9/30/2018 9:00 PM
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