Focus

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

FOCUS

Acts 28:1-10

28:1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live." 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

NIV

Two major truths are within this record of what happened with all 276 souls reaching land safely. However, first, we know of this island, Malta, although it was new to those who arrived there. They were met and greeted with kindness by the islanders, and this is when the first truth is given to us. While Paul was helping build the fire, he was attacked by a viper, a snake that must have had deadly venom, because when the islanders saw the snake fastened to Paul's hand, they thought he must have been a murderer and that justice was being served. Why was it like that? When something bad happens to a believer, do people assume they did something wrong and deserve punishment? Of course, our society does have laws, and when they are broken, some form of justice must be served, depending on the severity of the crime, ranging from a speeding ticket to incarceration for crimes against humanity. However, how do we, as believers, handle infractions of God's commands? Do we think justice must be served? Do we think God will punish them in some way? What about his grace? What about his forgiveness? What about his love and mercy? Interestingly, the poisonous snake had no effect on Paul, and the islanders changed their opinion from him being a murderer to a god. We should take our cue from how Paul dealt with the apparent problem. He just shook it off, paid no attention to its danger to him. Maybe that is how we should think regarding anything unpleasant that comes into our lives. We should not focus on the problem, but understand that we are children of God and he will take care of us. That snake would have been deadly for any islander, but for Paul, a man of God, who believed God, who trusted in Jesus, it was of no concern. The second truth is that Paul, still under arrest and a prisoner of Rome, went about healing all who came to him. His personal situation did not preclude him from serving his Lord, being a vessel of blessings to the Islanders. Again, we could take our clue from this truth. No matter our personal situation that we might face, we can still be a vessel of blessings to others. If we spend our time focused on our own situation, complaining to God about our aches and pains, or some infirmity we might be afflicted with, we are not looking for ways to bless others, encouraging them, praying for their healing, or even seeing some difficult time they might be experiencing, reaching out to help them. Paul's life was not all a bed of roses; he had experienced pain and suffering at the hands of men who opposed his message, but even as a prisoner, he lifted up the name of Jesus and healed others. Could we do anything like that? Could we see others' needs over our own? Let us look outward, even in the midst of inner pain. What is our focus?