|  June 2010  |  Ethiopia 2008  | Share |

Innocent, ignored, and shipwrecked. Not exactly the recipe for a great day, but it was just another day in the life of Paul. The Book of Acts closes with a one of the most exquisite stories of God using an unlikely servant in the most unlikely circumstances. The Pharisees (23:9), Claudius Lysias (23:29), Festus (25:25), Agrippa (26:32) all declared Paul innocent. Yet, he was still on a grain ship stacked with prisoners, cargo, passengers, and probably a couple random animals and headed for Rome, the capital of the world and the home of the Coliseum. Paul knew the seas better than most, for he had traveled about 3,000 miles by sea. (He should have cashed in is frequent sailor miles for more deluxe accommodations.) Nonetheless, no one would listen to him. After they had tied the ship together so that it wouldn't fall apart, lost all hope, and an angel had appeared to Paul... it took all of that for them to finally listen to Paul. The Apostle Paul told them that if they all stuck together they would live... shipwreck but live. In fact, that is exactly what happened. They shipwrecked on the Island of Malta, a place untouched by the gospel. Through a snake bite that should have killed him and a healed father, God used Paul to bring his God, Jesus Christ, to those on the boat and the island. The Book of Acts is the story of God furthering his church from Jerusalem to Samaria to the uttermost parts of the earth (1:8). God used a persecutor of the church to bring about his mission. If He can use Paul, he can use us. Will you and I be used by God today to further His kingdom? I hope so.