Overcoming Adversity: Lessons from Paul

Now that’s a VA therapy type question.

Som, here’s the answer I’d give. And Oh, Thanks Pastor Alan for reminding us about storms in life. Your message came at a perfect time.

If we’re all honest with ourselves, we’ve all started over. many times.

Sometimes it’s our fault. it’s something we did. We got frustrated and walked away from (Insert whatever it is here).

Sometimes we have no control over it because someone or something else did it.

Recently, our Pastor preached from Acts 27. For those unfamiliar with this text, let me give you brief recap. Paul, while preaching about Jesus runs afoul of a plot from the Sanhedrin to get rid of him. A Roman Centurion comes to the rescue. learning of additional plots to kill him, Paul is taken to another city and basically kept under house arrest there in the governors palace. Years go by, and when at last the case is heard, it’s asked if he’d be willing to be tried by the Sanhedrin. He’s standing in Caesar’s court, and he appeals to Caesar.

So off he goes on a ship to Rome. He’s a prisoner with no clue what will happen when he gets to Rome.

Now here’s the problem. it’s a bad time of year to be running around the Med in a ship. This is a time for storms. And this was no pleasure cruise. In the course of it all, the ship is wrecked, and Paul and Company end up shipwrecked on what is modern day Malta.

Now, if you have asked Paul if this going according to HIS plan, he’d have had to say no. He wanted to go to Rome. He was eager to get there.

Instead, he’s been spat out by an angry sea with a bunch of soldiers, sailors, and prisoner.

But Paul dealt with it. He demonstrated the power of God. He demonstrated what it was to be a servant. And he demonstrated the power of leadership on plenty of occasions.

Looking back, I’m sure Paul would have said that was time well spent there.

So, what do we see when we look back?

The thins that form us aren’t the good times. they’re the bad times. That’s when we’re built into the people we are today.

The choice is, how did we react to the bad times?

We can allow them grow us or to destroy us.

It’s that simple.

And the choice is ours.

Links to Pastor Alan Krafts lessons:

• Acts 27 Teaching : https://cccgreeley.org/messages/how-to-thrive-in-a-storm/
• Acts 28 Teaching: https://cccgreeley.org/messages/bloom-where-you-are-planted/