Friday's Devo - You are a Seed.

Read Acts 28
Paul and his shipmates find themselves shipwrecked on the island of Melita which means "of honey: escaping". The people are barbarious but friendly. They are also very superstituous. When a snake bites Paul they think it is payback from the gods because he has done some henious crime. But Paul doesn't die so now they now think he is a god. They were housed by the wealthy leader, Publius. His father was sick with disentery so Paul prayed, laid hands on him and healed him. This started a whole healing line of all who were sick in the village. They stayed 3 months there and left. (I'd say they left the place better than they found it.)
I love verse 14 because you can tell by the fact that they found fellow believers there and decided to stay longer that Paul is no longer a prisoner being ordered around, but he is a leader making the decisions. He has gained respect of leaders and people all along his journey because signs and wonders follow what he preaches. Even when Paul arrives in Rome he is treated differently. He is not put in jail with the others but gets to stay with a soldier by himself.
Paul finally gets to speak. This time he has no accusers and is given total freedom to teach his doctrine out of his own home. What a set-up by God!
I couldn't help seeing that the number 3 came up 4 times in this chapter. God has a purpose for everything under heaven and God has a purpose for numbers. The number 3 means "conformed into the image of". On the 3rd day of creation God created seeds and plants and he said that whatever seed you plant will yeild that plant. Paul has been planting the seeds of salvation all along the way. Now is it time for the plant to look like the seed. Paul is in his last years of ministry. He spends them watering the seeds he has planted. They will look like him.
What seeds are we planting? Will we be pleased when we see the grown plant? I pray so.