Mon.’s Devo - Paul’s Boldness

Read: 1 Chronicles 11:1-12:18; Acts 28:1-31; Psalm 9:1-12; Proverbs 19:1-3 David’s elite soldiers were listed. They were the mighty warriors who defected from Saul’s army. The thirty were all relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul’s own family realized he was a bad king that shouldn’t have been the king. They supported David, who God had anointed to take his place since he couldn’t obey the Lord. It mentions two of the Three mightiest warriors. In 2 Samuel 23:11 the third warrior is named - Shamman. Other warriors came from Gad and Judah as well as those from Benjamin. His army grew by the day. In Acts, Paul and his shipmates swam ashore on the island of Malta. The people of Malta were very welcoming and built a fire to warm them since it was cold and rainy. As Paul was gathering firewood, a snake bit him and hung from his arm. He flung it into the fire. At first the islanders thought he was being punished for doing something bad but when he didn’t die, they decided he must be a god. The chief official of the island was Publius whose father was deathly ill. Paul prayed for him and he was healed. Then all the other sick people came to Paul to be healed and he healed them also. When it was time to leave, the people of the island gave them all they needed and they sailed the Alexandrian ship to Rome. They stopped at some cities along the way where they found some believers to encourage. Believers were waiting at Rome to welcome Paul. Three days after he had arrived in Rome, Paul called a meeting of the Jewish leaders. He told them of his story and how the Jews were pressing charges against him though he had done nothing wrong. Then he explained the scriptures and why he believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Some believed. Others could not see it just like Isaiah said would happen. Finally, Paul told them that the message is for all people and the Gentiles would hear it and accept it. Paul lived in Rome for two years at his own expense and boldly proclaimed the Kingdom of God without any opposition. Lord, may we be as determined as Paul that what we know about Jesus is true and worthy of sharing. May we boldly proclaim the gospel in all we do and say.