Practically Speaking

Acts 27:9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." 11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there. 13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete. 14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon.

At what point does the Spiritual intersect with the practical?

As we go through life trying to balance our Spiritual lives with our physical lives, this is often the question we are left to deal with. How do we get through our day-to-day mundane experiences while keeping a Spiritual perspective? Does God really care about the details of our lives? Does God really have the time to invest His will in all of our decisions?

Now, most Christians would in all probability respond, “Yes! God does care about the details and the routine aspects of our lives.” But how does that work? What does that look like?

In part, it looks like the great divide we see here, as the centurion seeks advice, first from Paul, then from the ship’s helmsman and owner, about whether to sail further before winter arrives. Can trouble be avoided?

If we put ourselves in the centurion’s place, who would we trust? Would we trust the professional sailor and the boat-owner, or would we trust a man who has invested himself in knowing God’s will? Who would appear to know more and have more experience dealing with the specifics of the decision to be made?

Hmmm…Who would you trust with a decision about car repair? Who would you trust with a decision about whether to have surgery or not? Who would you trust with a decision about whether to change jobs, or churches? Who would you trust with a decision to buy a house? Do you see the difficulty here?

We are surrounded by ‘experts’ about every subject under the sun. (Especially in these Google-happy days.) But the truth is we also have the option of seeking the wisdom of the Creator of the sun. Given the choice, who would you trust?

- Pastor Bill