"And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete. But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me."
(Acts 27:13-25)
Today’s Morsel: I’m sure that many of you have heard the quote, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” There have been so many sports teams, Bible Quiz teams, runners, and horses that have come out of what seemed like a sure loss to win. One of my favorites, is when Aaron Rogers, of the Green Bay Packers, threw a 61 yard Hail Mary, against the Detroit Lions, with no time left on the clock due to a defensive penalty, into the endzone being caught by his team mate Richard Rogers to win the game and keep the Packers' hopes alive for the NFC Championship. Talk about finishing strong. Luke said that when it looked as though all hope was lost on their voyage, Paul found the courage to tell the people to be of good cheer because he had heard from God. Paul’s comments were to let them know that it was not over. And they all made it safely to land. Let me encourage you today, don’t throw in the towel and lose hope because it looks dim and hopeless in your situation. Always remember, to finish strong require stick-to-it-ness. And Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the end.
Sing: The mountain may be high but it’s not too steep, the road may be long and burning under my feet, but I won’t, turn back, I won’t, turn back now. O’ the enemy at my back and he’s closing in on me, but I hear Jesus saying, "Strong my friend you’re gonna win", and I won’t turn back now.
Thought For Today: “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over!”
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