Daily Discovery 24th April 2020 Devotional – Time To Speak
TODAY’S TOPIC: TIME TO SPEAK
Opening Prayer: God, teach me to see through Your eyes today.
Read Acts 27:27–44
The Shipwreck
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic[a] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.
28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet[b] deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet[c] deep.
29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.
30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.
31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.
Daily Discovery 24th April 2020 Devotional
33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything.
34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”
35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.
37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board.
38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
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.
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.
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. Daily Discovery 24th April 2020 Devotional
42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.
43 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.
44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.
Footnotes:
a Acts 27:27 In ancient times the name referred to an area extending well south of Italy.
b Acts 27:28 Or about 37 meters
c Acts 27:28 Or about 27 meters
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect – Daily Discovery 24th April 2020 Devotional
Which people have you known who are good examples of godly leadership? What is distinctive about them?
Fourteen days into a journey that should have taken one, Paul’s leadership skills become obvious. The centurion, the ship owner and the pilot were in charge (11). Officially Paul was a nobody, but in these dire circumstances he came to the fore as leader.
As land became closer, fear began to take over (20,29). Paul couldn’t avoid speaking (31). He realized that selfishly, the sailors wanted to escape in the lifeboat (30). The only solution was to cut the lifeboat free so that the sailors had to stay. Sometimes we have to speak out whether or not we have the right to do so.
Godly leaders like Paul don’t just look at strategy. They care for people, trying to see things through their eyes. Paul knew that after 14 hugely stressful days without food, they were in a terrible state. If they were to survive as God had promised, they needed to eat. So he gave instructions and led by example (35).
Strengthened by the food, the crew tried to beach the ship (39), but instead it ran aground on a sand bar. As the ship broke up, the centurion spared Paul’s life and those of the other prisoners (43). God can—and will—use anyone to fulfill his purposes.
Apply: Thank God for the godly leaders you thought of earlier. Is there something from their example, or Paul’s, for you to follow today?
Closing Prayer: Lord, I want to be more like You. Thank You for placing godly leaders in my life. Help me to follow the lead of those who love You.
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