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Today’s chapter was a great leadership lesson given by Paul. It showed how Paul, a prisoner, was able to lead, even the Centurions, during their 14 days in the storm. Often we wait for God to place us in a position of authority so that we can be influencers. In reality, God’s power and Holy Spirit living in us is the only influence we need. We must be willing to be used by God in all circumstance and not wait for positional power in order to impact the lives of people around us.
My first comment from new York! Told ya I wouldn’t quit reading.:) there are several neat tidbits in this chapter but all I kept thinking about were the similarities between Paul’s imprisonment and Bonhoeffer’s. Both of them continued to love the Lord and trust that he was still going to use them in what looked to be a terrible /unfair situation in human eyes. They continued to love the people around them even though they were their captors and even though those people were treating them unfairly. Its so easy to get caught up in what’s “fair”. I deal with this all the time. My “j” is off the charts! π when I sense something is either unfair or unjust (yes, I understand there is a difference between the 2) I can get really bent out of shape and forget that God might actually have a plan even in that situation. I constantly have to remind myself to look through his lenses, not the human one. As a result of their love and oobedience, both Paul and Bonhoeffer won their captors over. Whether or not they came to a faith in Christ is not the point. The point is that both men continued to love these people and in response, these captors treated them with more respect, dignity and even saved their lives. It’s awesome to see how God works all the time in every situation.