Program Success Christian Reader September 2007 | Page 32

32 The Christian Reader September 2007
Answers From Page 30
LEON BING continued from page 22
and teachers of God’s Word give warnings, direction, instruction, or
counsel in so many areas of their lives just to have those same people
ignore the word and do their own thing and get in more trouble. This
is an on going problem in just about every church family in America.
And yet like Paul, we continue to stand in the gap for all of God’s
children, because of the fact that God says in His Word that He doesn’t
wish that any of us should perish! But don’t forget, you shall reap
what you sow! But back to Paul, he gave them warning in verse 10;
And said unto them, Sirs; I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt
and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our
lives. However, there was good news because Paul had a visit from a
“Night Angel” he tells us in verse 23, even though the ship will be lost,
no lives will be lost!
31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, except these abide
in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall
off.
33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to
take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have
tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your
health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks
to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he
began to eat.
36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and
sixteen souls.
38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and
cast out the wheat into the sea.
39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they
discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were
minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed
themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted
up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
41 And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship
aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmovable,
but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
42 And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of
them should swim out, and escape.
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Now in these verses we see that these men were so terrified that they
had gone on an unplanned fast. It had been 14 days before Paul had to
force them to eat something. Then like many of us today, they began
to do whatever they could to get from out of their situation. They
began to lighten the ship and ended up grounding the ship. We get
ourselves into situations and try any and everything to get out, and for
the most part we dig deeper holes for ourselves. For example, we get
into a financial bind so we try one of those get rich quick schemes or
one of those credit repair schemes and get deeper into financial debt.
And the soldiers’ final plan was to throw all of the prisoners over
board, you talk about some serious panicking going on, they were
really losing it. Guess what, some of us also panic! We divorce before
we allow God to work it out in us. Or we quit our jobs with nowhere
to go! Or we give up on a love one before help can arrive. You see
where I’m going right? But the final two verses let’s us know, “We can
make it on broken pieces!”
See LEON BING page34