The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 28:1-6, “And when they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta.

2 And the natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the

cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.

3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat,

and fastened on his hand.

4 And when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, ‘Undoubtedly

this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.’

5 However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.

6 But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a

long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was

a god.”

Did you ever change your mind? Be careful! To admit to having changed your mind implies that you were wrong in the first place. Mathematically, you are then only 50% correct overall. I don’t need to retell the account; it’s all there above in six verses. The ship on which Paul was sailing ultimately crashed. There were no deaths; still, it was raining and cold. They desperately needed a fire.

By the way, did you notice who was gathering wood for the fire? It was Paul, the able servant-minister of the LORD Jesus Christ, the Creator of the world and all the heavens! Paul gathered sticks for the fire. Don’t ever conceive of yourself as too good or too important to do menial things that are of benefit to others. Self-assessment usually weighs in its own favor. That’s what the assessment of the natives was, when they witnessed a viper emerge from the stick and fasten on Paul’s hand. “He’s a murder!” they said, and expected him to die from the viper’s bite. When Paul did not die, the natives changed their minds and reckoned he was a god. (Just as well Paul was gathering sticks. Had he envisioned himself a god, he might have died.) But God had a greater work for him to do.

Were you ever wrong in your assessment of someone? I sure have been. I can remember people I thought to be less than “normal,” only to discover that they were far more competent than I was! That stings like a viper’s bite!!

Snap judgments are usually wrong. “I can’t talk to him about Jesus,” you say, only to hear him say, “I was hoping there would be someone I could talk to about the Bible.” Believe me when I say that Paul’s shipwreck on Malta was as much the plan of God as his imprisonment in Rome! We simply overlook the “little” things and focus on those we assess to be “more important.” It’s just not always that way.

Meeting an old friend you haven’t seen since high school; having someone ask you direction to the nearest eatery; coming upon someone who has been crying –each and all of these are opportunities to share the Gospel. I’ve told you before that I often use humor. But, I notice other opportunities, too. Be alert! Assess situations! Don’t draw conclusions too quickly! Stay prayerful. Keep Christ and His Word at the fore of your thinking. And in the LORD’s own time, you’ll discover the true meaning of the viper’s bite! And it doesn’t hurt! God bless you abundantly!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”