Reading your Bible for Today July 24

July 24: Acts 27:21-26

KJV Key Verse: Acts 27:25
25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer : for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Devotion:
A Pastor was preaching one day when he went on for a lot longer than normal. Many in the congregation started to fall asleep. Finally, after the service a dear old lady came up to him and said “I'm sorry Pastor, but that was the worst sermon I have heard. Please stick to the point next time”. Another lady followed her out and stopped and blurted out “Don't you be going and listening to her now Pastor, she never has her own words, she always says what everyone else is saying...”

How many times have you tried to put a little cheer into the conversation and found you actually spread fear or more despondency! There are times when I have tried to say the right thing, but what comes out seems to do more damage than good. Those were the times when I tried to think of something good to say! Worse still, if you try to invent a bit of truth, it will often backfire and leave even more devastation!

Paul, on the other hand, wanted to make sure the people on the ship knew the truth. He was standing up for what was right. He knew they probably did not want to hear they were about to be shipwrecked! But he still wanted them to know when Christ is in it, even the bad times can have something good come out of it. That good news was that none of the people on board were going to perish – all would survive! It was only the vessel which was going to be crunched!

Too many times we do forget this about ourselves as well. We look after, or try to look after our human side without giving thought to our spiritual side. We make sure we physically are fit and well, but within us stirs up a boiling cauldron of emotions which are just waiting to spew out all over the place. Paul was trying to show the men on the boat they would find peace from the storm and the only reason for that peace would be because God was in it. When we face our storms, we need to make sure we are looking for God first!

Points to Ponder:
Do you suffer from “foot in mouth” disease?

How often do you ask God for guidance in everyday life?