Luke the beloved physician wrote how he, Paul, and others with him were sailing toward Rome, and although Paul warned them not to leave Crete and a storm arose, “when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, you should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship”, and in chapter twenty-seven and verse twenty-three of the book of Acts Luke shared how Paul said, “there stood by me this night the angel of God” where we read:
For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
The verse begins, “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, ...” Luke began with the words, “for there stood by me” which means “because, since and on account that there was standing beside me, Paul” “this night” or “the selfsame time when works ceases and the weary give themselves to slumber” “the angel of God” which means “the messenger or envoy belonging to Heavenly Father God”. Luke shared how “Paul” told the men aboard the ship that “God's” messenger came to him during the middle of the nighttime.
The verse goes on to say, “... whose I am, and whom I serve, ...” Luke continued with the words, “whose I am” which means “who I, Paul, belong to”, “and whom I serve” or “and to who I, Paul, minister, render religious service and homage”. Luke shared how “Paul” told the people that he belonged to “God” and “rendered religious service” to Him as well.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we learn why “Paul” was able to encourage the men aboard the ship in the midst of the storm. “God's angel” came to him in the middle of the night and gave him a message that he will share in our next verse. “Paul” belonged to Jesus because he humbled himself, repented of his sins and received Jesus as His personal “Savior and Lord”. He became his “servant” after yielding to Him and was destined to go to “Rome” to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people there. God loves everyone, and He wants them to be in a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus. Those who are wise listen carefully to the words of “Paul” and understand how this is another effort by God to demonstrate His willingness to offer salvation to all who believe.
Next time Luke shares how the angel tells Paul, “Fear not, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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