When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.
Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset
HEAD
In today’s reading, Paul, a prisoner for sharing the Gospel, is on a prison ship headed toward Italy. Paul warned the officers that a storm was coming and warned them against leaving as scheduled, but the officers didn’t listen. A storm did come and caused a lot of problems for the travelers. God sent an angel to tell Paul that no one would die and only the ship would be lost. Paul told everyone to “take courage because not one of you will be lost,” and he gave credit to God. All of the men were scared. Paul encouraged them to eat something because they had not eaten in fourteen days. He reassured them that, “not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” He then thanked God in front of them, and they ate as much as they wanted. Then, they threw the rest of the grain into the sea to lighten the ship. When morning came, the ship hit land and all the men were able to get to land safely.
HEART
Can you imagine being a prisoner on a ship in the middle of a storm?! That sounds so scary to me! Paul had been arrested for telling others about Jesus, and he was still trusting God and thanking Him in front of the soldiers! Wow! God had a plan for Paul and not even being arrested or a bad storm could stop it from happening. Paul was confident in who God was and what He could do. How confident are you in who God is and what He can do? Do you believe that He is on your side and has a good plan for your life?
HANDS
God used Paul to encourage those around him, even his enemies. Look for ways today to encourage those around you with the truth that God loves them and has a plan for their lives.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the example of Paul. You are good and You take care of us. Thank You for loving me and having a plan for my life. Help me to trust You like Paul did. Help me to find ways to encourage other people by telling them about You. In Jesus’ name, amen.