Good morning. Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I
believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. But we must run
aground on a certain island. Now God could’ve had them make it safely to Rome;
but they may have gotten there before He wanted them to. Also there were some
people on the island that needed to hear about God. After 14 days in the storm,
the sailors realized they were approaching some land. Some of the sailors tried
to escape in the ship’s boat; but Paul told the centurion that unless they
remained in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved. I’m not sure why that is
true. They finally run aground, and the ship is being broken up by the waves.
The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners so that they could not escape; but
the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their
intention. One way or another all 276 persons made it to shore. The natives of
the island received them with kindness and started a fire for them. As Paul was
laying some sticks on the fire, a viper came out and bit him. The natives
thought that this meant that Paul was a murderer, and that he was getting his
just desserts. Instead, Paul shook the snake off into the fire, and the snake
died. After this, the natives changed their minds and thought that Paul was a
god. Father help us to be exactly where You want us to be. Get us to that place
no matter what it takes.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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