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A key measure of our faith is how we conduct ourselves when others make costly decisions.
I’m talking about those times when you’re given a pitcher of lemon juice and you scurrying to make lemonade.
In the Apostle Paul’s case, as recorded in Acts 27, the lemon juice was ocean-sized.
And yet, Paul was protected and provided for in a way that made lemonade for hundreds of people then and millions of people since.
Here’s the recap: It was late fall and the Mediterranean Sea was rocking and rolling like a washing machine. In the midst of that giant bowl of lemon juice was the ship upon which Paul and his Roman captors were riding enroute to Rome.
The ship was tossed around like a cork on the waves and more than 270 men — excluding Paul — thought they were all going to die.
It turned out, of course, that not one of them died.
Yes, God was good in how He answered Paul’s prayers.
Not only did the men survive, but people got healed and saved on the island where the ship eventually wrecked.
And we believers have found lemonade-style refreshment ever since from the Acts 27-28 accounts.
What is interesting about this whole sequence is that Paul had tried to prevent this whole mess from ever happening.
While temporarily anchored off the coast of Crete, the ship owner, pilot and the Roman centurion in charge of Paul agreed they should set sail across open waters in order to keep a schedule.
Bad idea, Paul said.
“So Paul warned them, ‘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.’ But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.” (vv. 9b-11).
Because the three men didn’t understand who Paul was — or WHOSE Paul was — they ignored his words. What did this preacher man know, anyway?
Talk about a bucket of lemon juice in the face!
Paul knew that it was going to get rough.
But he also knew that God had a purpose and a plan for his life and that he WOULD stand before Caesar in Rome.
And so, not knowing the details of what would come, Paul found strength and patience in the fact that God’s plans will be accomplished one way or the other.
Of course, the journey to Rome is a whole lot more interesting for us because of all that Paul faced along the way. And it is far more instructional/inspirational as compared to, “Paul boarded an Alexandrian ship at Tyre and disembarked three weeks later on the coast of Italy.”
Clearly, the three men mentioned above messed up in an earthly sense. They made a costly decision that would have been avoided had they listened to the preacher man.
But they didn’t and Paul needed to faithfully start making lemonade.
I thank God for the refreshing lemonade of Paul’s story in Acts 27-28.
And I thank God — in advance — for the refreshing lemonade that will come to the people in your lives as you respond in the pattern of Christ whenever someone else makes a costly decision against your reasoned advice.
Remember, God has a purpose and a plan for your life and you will be given opportunities to share that plan with people God has already planned for you to meet.
Make sure that you have a glass of lemonade ready for them, OK?
As always, I love you
Martin
