Daily Devotional for Wednesday, May 17

From Myra to Fair Haven

“Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, and said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives,” Acts 27:9, 10.

Have you ever said to somebody, “I told you so!” Has anyone ever told you that? Certainly you have, and most likely you have been told that also. Sometimes we are set on doing something that another person perceives is a really bad idea. Maybe they are smarter than us or more experienced. Maybe they have information that we do not have. In this case, Paul had information directly from the source, that source being God the Holy Spirit. Paul perceived, by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, that the voyage their ship was about to embark on was going to be dangerous. As we can see, the master and crew of the ship thought otherwise and off they went. We can also see that Paul was quite correct, and the ship was beset by a dangerous storm.
Two things seem to stand out here. Sometimes others will not listen to us. We may sound a warning and be totally ignored. Even if you know you will be ignored, your responsibility is to sound the warning. Preach the gospel and pay no attention to who might listen and who might not. Your job is to say it, not to convict or convert. The second thing that stands out, yet again, is Paul’s readiness to preach the gospel in any situation.
A storm was raging and the death of all seemed imminent. Paul stood in the middle of the storm and proclaimed the great name of God, and that Paul was His servant. He proclaimed that God would save them! Guess what? That is your message, too.

THOUGHT: Sometimes people will not listen to your warnings. It is still your job to warn them.

Wally Fry