Luke the beloved physician wrote how he, Paul, and others with him were shipwrecked and swam to “the island” that “was called Melita”, “and after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days. And from there we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli. Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome”, and in chapter twenty-eight and verse fifteen of the book of Acts Luke shared how brethren, “came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns” where we read:
And from there, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum,
and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.
The verse begins, “And from there, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, ...” Luke began with the words, “and from there” which means “and from the city of Rome”, “when the brethren heard of us” or “at the time and moment the fellow believers who were united to each other by the bond of affection were given the faculty for hearing, perceiving and understanding about Luke, Paul and the others sailing with them”, “they came to meet us” which means “the fellow believers arose and appeared to encounter us, Luke, Paul and the others sailing with them” “as far as Appii forum” or “from the distance of Appii Forum which was a town in Italy, 39 miles (60 km) from Rome on the Appian Way” to the following location. Luke shared how fellow believers from the area of “Appii forum” near “Rome” arose and appeared where he, Paul and the others were.
The verse goes on to say, “... and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.” Luke continued with the words, “and The three taverns” which was “the name of a halting place on the Appian way between Rome and the Market of Appius; it was 10 miles (16 km) from the latter place and 33 miles (50 km) ) from Rome”: “whom when Paul saw” or “who at the time and moment Paul, whose name means small or little, observed, noticed and beheld”, “he thanked God” which means “he, Paul, was grateful and expressed gratitude to God the Heavenly Father”, “and took courage” or “and claimed, procured and obtained confidence”. Luke shared how fellow believers also came from a place known as “The three taverns”, and when “Paul” saw them, be began to be grateful to God for them and gained confidence within himself.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the fellow believers from “Appii Forum” and “The three taverns” came to where “Paul” was, and when he met with them, he gave thanks to God and gained confidence from their visit. “Paul” was very close to arriving in “Rome”, and the fellow believers who heard he was coming went to where he was and encouraged him. “Paul” was being falsely charged by the Jewish people who opposed Him and Jesus Christ whom He served, and like many others in history, “Paul” was to suffer for his belief in Him. God loves everybody, and His desire is to have a personal relationship with them through His Son Jesus. When they yield to Him, He will forgive their sins, grant them everlasting life and give them fellow believers to encourage, bless and keep them as they perform their acts and deeds within His Kingdom.
Next time Luke shares how brethren, “when we came to Rome … Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him”, 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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