Indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.

(Acts 27. 24)

Who was actually sailing with whom on that ship which was taking the apostle Paul to Rome? We should probably answer that the Roman captain Julius was travelling with a number of prisoners, among them the apostle Paul. Or we might suggest that on an Alexandrine ship with its crew and cargo there were a fair number of passengers, of which Paul was one.

God saw things differently. For Him Paul was not someone sailing with Julius and the crew; they were travelling with Paul. For God only one man on that ship carrying 276 persons counted: His servant Paul. It all depended on the viewpoint.

Do we see things with God's eyes or with those of natural man? Astronomers regard the earth as an insignificant planet in the small solar system. There are planets, Jupiter, for example, which make the earth look like a dwarf. However, for God the earth is the most important object in the whole world of the stars. Here He placed man as the crown of His work. Moreover, it was here that the Son of God suffered and died to redeem fallen man.

Just as at that time all those sailing with Paul were rescued and reached their destination, so today all who, in a spiritual sense, go along with Paul, i.e. accept the gospel that he preached, will be saved for eternity and enter the glory of God. This underlines the importance of the message with which God entrusted His servant.

Good Seed Calendar, June 19, 2007