TWO BIG QUESTIONS

In Acts 27 Paul was up against it... He was on board a ship with 270+ passengers and things were going south in a hurry. Think "Perfect Storm" with George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg...

The ship's crew was scared. The people on board were anxious. Nobody had eaten in days. Everyone's was preoccupied with one thing: SURVIVAL. "Let's just make it through another night..."

The anxiety and desperation of the crew got Paul's attention. So he called everyone on board the ship together. As you can probably guess, Paul wasn't the "kum ba ya" type. He was hard-nosed, opinionated and relentless.

This is the first thing Paul said to this terrified group: "You guys should have listened to me... I told you that we shouldn't leave Fair Havens..." (Acts 27:21)

Let's face it. Sometimes Paul could be a first-class jerk.  I mean, Paul is basically saying, "I'm not one to say, 'I told you so,' but, 'I told you so.'"

The next words Paul spoke are "money." They're the words you need when you're in a huge jam and there's no apparent way out. These words hit me like a freight train this morning during my devotional time.

Acts 27:22-25 (NLT), "But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me..."

Two BIG TRUTHS gave Paul security, peace and confidence, even in the middle of a huge northeaster.

• I belong to God - "an angel of the God to whom I belong..." 

• This is God's mission, not mine - "...and whom I serve..." 
  

It doesn't matter what kind of storm you're facing as long as you have a  firm grip on these two truths.  

• I belong to God. 

• This is God's mission, not mine.  
  

On the basis of these two HUGE FACTS, Paul made this statement.  

Acts 27:24-25 (NLT),  "...and [the angel] said, 'Don't be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What's more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.' 25 So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.."

Here's the thought that blew me away this morning: FEAR takes a dive and FAITH rises up when you know YOU BELONG TO GOD and YOU ARE ON MISSION for HIM.  

So, the TWO BIG questions I want to pose this morning are these:   

• Do you know you belong to God?  Do you know that you're deeply loved by God?  That He's your Father, and that you are His child?  

• Do you know you're on MISSION from God?  Do you really believe that your career, ministry, family, your current situation in life are really assignments from God?  Or, are you simply calling the shots in life yourself?  
  

I don't know that we can ever defeat the power of FEAR and get a grip on FAITH if we haven't settled these two issues.  

So what about it?