December 22, 2019

December 22

Running with Jesus

Acts 27:42-43  And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.  But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:

      God will make a way when there seems to be no way! Paul is still in this terrible storm, a prisoner, and in chains! You thought you had a bad day, they want to kill all the prisoners so they will not escape by swimming away. Paul had gained favor with the centurion who wanted to save Paul, so he ordered them to stop. We have been running with Jesus as He worked in and through the whole life of Paul. He has been through so much. Many times there seemed to be no way out of each situation but God was in control of His life and because of that Paul could rest in the midst of each circumstance he found himself in. Grace he had learned to live upon. Everyday God would grant him the measure he needed to deal with life.

     I was reminded of the manna God gave the Israelites in the dessert. They were to gather only what portion they needed for each day. If they gathered too much it turned to maggots, except they could gather enough to not work on the Sabbath day.   Manna was bread from heaven to sustain their lives. We have God's Word that is our bread that will sustain our lives as we run through life. We need to go to it daily and gather what we need for each day!

     Paul had been given by God a spoken word he would not die in this shipwreck! Paul knew He could count on God's word. It was God's words that spoke the world into existence. We can always count on God's word to sustain us. God's Word is the foundation of our faith we must not neglect it or we will not survive and thrive apart from it!  So cling to His Word today, through the Word He will make a way for you to survive!

Father, thank You for Your written Word, the Bible, truth that sets us free and sustains us, making the way for us as we run through life! Thank You for those long ago who wrote down Your words, sacrificed, and gave their lives to see this generation has it to live by.

      (Hold the Bible in your hands and think about it for a few minutes, all you need to make a way!)

Let's back track in the morning I learned something! Don't miss it!

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015