Back to getting ready for school today, Father. Help everything to come together as You would have it. Use me and my brothers and sisters in Christ, to be as the moon is to the sun -may we reflect You with all that we are. Amen.
Acts 28:1-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
OK…sometimes attempting to find information on something you’d think would be basic can lead to some crazy – and interesting – stuff. Reading the notes on today’s passage from the Amplified Bible, it stated that the viper that fastened itself on [Paul’s] hand v3b probably was a sand viper (vipera ammodytes). I’m not a huge fan of snakes, but I was curious as to what it was particularly.
They are found in southern Europe, including Turkey, as well as, in the Mediterranean. They can grow from 2.5 feet to 3 feet in length and have fangs as long as half an inch! (Shiver!)
One page I clicked on spoke of medications that can be developed using their venom – being bitten by them can kill you if you don’t have it taken care of promptly. I didn’t read very far into the article because it was full of long sentences with phrases like “heterodimeric postsynaptic ionic complex composed of two protein subunits”! Another article spoke of how these medications from this viper have been effective in fighting certain breast cancer cells!
Interesting but a little overwhelming!
When Paul was bit, the island of Malta natives thought he was a goner. He must’ve been a pretty bad guy – a murderer no less, they surmised – to have escaped death at sea and then to end being bitten by a poisonous viper. When he shook it off into the fire and suffered no ill effects, they thought him a god! (vs4-6)
He most certainly wasn’t a god, but he did serve the one true God!
There are times in life when we experience the worst of times and come out on the other end still standing. We breathe a sigh of relief and count our blessings. And then we are blindsided by something unrelated but just as threatening. Do we fall crying to the ground? Do we cry out to God, asking, “Why me, Lord?” Or do we respond like Paul?
He didn’t yell or scream…he [simply] shook the creature off into the fire. v5 AMP
To me, it seemed to be more of an “Oh, bother…” kind of moment. There was no panic, it was just an interruption of life.
Paul’s total trust was in God. He had given himself over to Him. He trusted God to handle whatever came across his path. They would handle it together.
To the Philippians, he wrote,
I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Philippians 1:20-24 NLT
Lord Jesus, may we be of the same mind.
Aug 22nd, 2022, Mon, 8:49 pm
