Right Advice

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

RIGHT ADVICE

Acts 27:9-12

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, 10 "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

NIV

The time that is referred to here as after the Fast would by most counts mean the celebration of the Day of Atonement which by our calendar was in September. This was right around the fall equinox and by historical accounts the Mediterranean Sea becomes rather violent. Paul’s warning might have come from his knowledge of the Sea being a seasoned traveler, or perhaps he had been inspired by the Spirit of the pending dangers ahead. We might assume this part of the voyage was already a little tricky as the normal crew was not piloting the ship, as we are told there was the ship owner and the pilot who thought it was alright to proceed. It would appear the ship was indeed under contract by the Roman government as the Centurion had the authority to make the decision whether to proceed or not. What life lesson can we glean from all this? Could we apply the principle that is declared in the first Psalm? It would have been far better for the Centurion to have taken advice from Paul, then from those unbelievers. Because we are told Paul warned them, we do have to believe that he had some warning from the Spirit, as God knows all things including our future. It is always far better to listen to Godly advice rather than that of the human mind. We cannot be sure why both the owner and pilot thought it proper to proceed. Perhaps they were hoping to finish this voyage as soon as possible getting rid of the Centurion and his prisoners. Whatever their reason it was based on human choice rather on Godly advice. Some people are certainly willing to offer their advice and do so absolutely free. But advice from the human mind, especially of those who do not listen to God, is not the best to listen to, in fact, we are not to listen to it at all. It is also noted that those who live within the human realm seldom listen to Godly advice. To unbelievers our lives do not seem to be the right way to live. In reality their lives are not the right way to live, and we should not allow their thinking to infiltrate our decisions, but we should remain steadfast in our belief that God will direct our paths. Had they listened to Paul they would have foregone a great deal of pain and suffering. The owner of the ship would not have lost his ship, which we will see he does. His crew, the rest of his cargo would have been save, and his purse would have been much fuller. We cannot accept the advice of those who do not listen to God, but it would also be fair to say it would be wise to listen to the counsel of a fellow believer, if we discern that believer has not been compromised by the ways of the world. Because we have the inspired word of God to refer to, advice that is Godly will always agree with what the Bible says. If any advice given is not in agreement with the Word of God, then it is not Godly advice but rather worldly advice and therefore not to be listened to. Of all the people who would have known Paul was a man who heard from God, the centurion would have, yet he listened to the wrong people and their future was set for hardship. There is much advice available and we need to make sure we are listening to the right advice.