Give it back

Acts 14:23

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.  NIV

Paul and Barnabas trusted God.

The Message says, “...they presented these new leaders to the Master to whom they had entrusted their lives.” MSG

The Master to whom they had entrusted their lives …

I look up the words “trust,” and “entrust.”  “Trust” means to have faith or to hope.  “Entrust” is to hand over, commend, delegate or assign.

Paul and Barnabas had great faith in God that prompted them to hand over their lives to Him.

God is trustworthy.  I trust him with my past, my future, and my present.

I trust God to guide the steps of my life to achieve His purposes.

It was He who gave me life … I give it back to Him, trusting that He will be faithful in all things.

That’s what I’ll think about today.

He rules the wind, and the waves, and my current circumstances

Acts 27:23

Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul.  You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.” NIV

This is one of the stories in the life of Paul that I don’t remember reading or studying previously.  At this point, Paul is on a boat with a bunch of sailors and a centurion, and they get caught in a massive storm that goes on for days … a couple of weeks, actually.

The sailors are so worried that they stop eating, and everyone is fearing for their lives.

It strikes me that this storm, which torments Paul’s boat, is a good metaphor for any long trial.  As difficult circumstances persist day after day, with no hope of resolution and no light at the end of the tunnel, it is easy to become discouraged — if you’re living a life of fear.

But Paul isn’t bound by fear.  He is living a life of love, and through it he keeps everything in perspective.  The phrase “God whose I am and whom I serve,” sums it up perfectly.

I belong to God.  I serve God.  He rules the wind, and the waves, and my current circumstances — good or bad.

That’s what I’ll think about today.