The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Acts 27:21-25, “When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, ‘Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss.
22 Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
23 For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me,
24 saying, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.”
25 Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.’”

Some things take a lot of courage. A poor swimmer instinctively jumps into unknown water to save a baby from drowning. An unskilled, unknown man stands up in a crowd of imminent personalities and gives his opinion on the discussion at hand. There are multiple instances of sudden courage that require risk.

The Captain of the ship en route to Rome from Crete had ignored Paul’s advice not to set sail from Crete. (But what does a prisoner know about such things?)

Now, that prisoner stands up again and admonishes the Captian for not adhering to his previous advice. At the same time, he encourages the others by saying, “Keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you…” How does he know? Is he a magician of sorts?

Listen! Now he’s saying that an angel of the LORD told him this: “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar, and behold, God has granted you all who are sailing with you…”

I’ve received a lot of the LORD’s promises through His Word. At other times, a calm peace just comes over me and I quit worrying about anything. There are so many uncertainties in life –uncertainties about which we do not know! When that occurs, try “trust.” Just don’t forget to pray!

“Trust and obey; for there’s no other way;
“To be happy in Jesus; but to trust and obey.”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom