Stay on Board!

Based on Acts 26-28

"13: And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
14: But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
15: And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive." Acts 27:13-15.

Imagine being tossed around a in a boat with a raging sea surrounding you. No feeling of safety or security. Seeming as though things could fall apart at any moment. Looking like it's over...

This feeling is actually not unfamiliar to most of us. We have all experienced this, whether we have been on a ship or not. We have all felt unsafe & insecure. We have all feared what tomorrow will bring in the raging sea of this world (especially nowadays!). The waves of a pandemic surrounding us. Instability around every corner...

But the important thing is stay put, stay on board & stay secure in The Lord. There is no better assurance & hope than in God!

That's exactly what Paul encouraged the soldiers & sailors to do. Things started looking pretty bad, and if it hadn't been for Paul's commitment to serving God, the people on that boat would not have survived:

"20: And 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.
21: But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.
22: 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." Acts 27:20-22.

Darkness surrounded them. They acted hastily and loosed their ship from Crete, making things even more unstable upon the raging sea. We need to remember not to make hasty decisions & wait on The Lord in prayer, or we will just add fuel to the fire and make our problems worse!

Paul told the man to be of good cheer, because he knew God's way would bring them to safety-and as our Pastor preached this past Sunday, God will not only make a way, He IS the Way! That's so powerful! Our Pastor also has an excellent message on the Euroclydon storm which you can go back & listen to on YouTube or nhtupc.com!

"30: And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
31: Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved." Acts 27:30-31.

Then there came a point when the ship was not only loosed from where it should be, but the people want to loose themselves from the ship & jump off! They had it with the craziness of this long journey...but in losing themselves, they would lose themselves...they would lose their lives...

Except we abide in the ship, we cannot be saved! If God tells us to stay, to endure, to keep going, then we need to do it! We only lead ourselves to our own demise when we make hasty decisions to save ourselves. We CAN'T save ourselves. Let God into your life, and see how safe & secure you'll be!!!