TUESDAY OCTOBER 29
“But
Paul shook the snake off.” Ac 28:5 NIV
PREPARE FOR ATTACK (3)
Luke writes: “The islanders showed us unusual
kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and
cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper…fastened
itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, ‘This man must be a
murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to
live.’ But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill
effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after
waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a
god”(vv. 2-6 NIV). People’s opinions are often fickle, so there’s a
response you need to adopt: “Shake it off!” These folks started out thinking
that Paul was an escaped convict, and ended up thinking he was a god.
Incredible! There is an important lesson here. Beware of those who change their
mind about you when your circumstances change. Build your life on those who
believe the best about you, and want to bring it out. Behind Paul’s spectacular
success in ministry you will find people who never stopped believing in him. He
writes, “Priscilla and Aquila…risked their lives for me” (Ro 16:4 NIV). He
called Epaphroditus “my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier…who
ministered to my need” (Php 2:25 NKJV). He says that Onesiphorus “often
refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains” (2 Ti 1:16 NIV). Look for such
people; they’ll bless you. And they’re out there!
Taken
from the Word for you Today devotional
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