Acts 28:9-10 (ESV)
And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. They also honored us greatly, and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.
God makes ministry out of messes. If we read the preceding verses we are amazed at what Paul has been through. He is being held captive under false charges. He is put on a boat and then another boat and survived an intense storm at sea. The last boat ran him aground. He then gets bite by a venomous snack. He survives, only to be judged by those around him that he must be a murderer. Finally it turns around and he is given an opportunity to serve. A man’s father lays on his death bed and Paul is giving opportunity and power from God to heal the man. Most of us, after this journey, would have given up and believed God had deserted them. Paul, of course, knows God and believes in His sovereign control. In the above text we see the results of Paul’s suffering and enduring. Suddenly he has a full church ministry. God gives us suffering. But, during the suffering Paul ministered to those in front of him. If you read back through the story you see all the things that happened to him. But, he starts to minister to the leaders of his captors. He ministers to the sailors of the ships he is in. He ministers to the people of the land where he lands after a ship wreck. He did not look for a particular ministry, he looked to minister. Paul is the best example of the quote that states, “ Bloom where you are planted.” God’s people would say it this way, “Minister in the mess!”
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