S. Acts 27:22, 25 “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. …So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me.”
O. The situation looked very bleak. Luke writes in v. 20 “…we finally gave up all hope of being saved…” yet Paul’s faith endured. He encouraged them to hang in there and to not give up. He knew the times would be difficult yet none of them would be lost. Paul’s faith and leadership were needed to help the othes get through difficult times.
A. I can see the difficulties of church planting and really even in life in general. Some might be discouraged in their marriage. Some might be discouraged in their relationships with others. Perhaps things are not working out as they thought. Others might be discouraged and face obstacles in pursuing their education. Others might be experiencing the storms of health issue. There can be a variety of areas where we had a vision but then the “storms of life” are threatening and it seems like those dreams and visions may not happen.
However, my context this morning is where I am presently at, and that is planting a new church. I too, like Paul, need to reaffirm the vision and the mission, to rally the people and speak words of encouragement. The message is clear and simple, but the action is not. Keep your courage. Keep your focus and faith in what the Lord Jesus is calling us to do. I pray that I can be that source of encouragement to those around me. This is also the same message that we all need in those other areas of our life. We need to keep our eyes, our focus, our feelings and our faith on the vision that God has given us and the mission to what He is calling is to. We must not bail out. It really is true, “Attention determines direction.”
P. Thank you Father for your encouragment to me today. Thank you for Paul’s example of faith. Holy Spirit fill me and guide me to the right words and to truly encourage others. In Jesus’ name!
