Crossing Paths Can Make an Eternal Difference

Acts 27:22-24 (CEV)
²² But now I beg you to cheer up, because you will be safe. Only the ship will be lost.
²³ I belong to God, and I worship him. Last night he sent an angel ²⁴ to tell me, “Paul, don’t be afraid! You will stand trial before the Emperor. And because of you, God will save the lives of everyone on the ship.”

As believers we all desired to be used by God to make a difference in other peoples’ lives. Most often our focus is on family and friends because of their proximity in our lives. But, what about people we are not close to us in terms of relationship?  Can God use us to influence them in a way that draws them closer to God?  According to the Word, the answer is a resounding yes!

A well-known minister of the Gospel recently wrote about the lessons we can glean from the account of Paul being in a catastrophic shipwreck in Acts 17. One of the points she centered on was the influence that Paul had in a situation in which he had no outward control. Acts 27:9-12 describes that Paul advised those in charge of the trip not to go. He warned them of the impending danger if they chose to leave as planned, yet they ignored his warning. (Before we get too critical of the men for not listening to Paul, we need to remember, they were not believers, they were men who had been hired to do a job and they couldn’t get paid if they didn’t sail.) They did sail, got caught up in hurricane-force winds and were facing eminent death. After praying about the situation, Paul revealed to those on the ship that an angel of God had shown him that he must appear before Caesar and that God had granted Paul the lives of all those on the ship.

The minister writing this article made an interesting point; that Paul was the only one on that ship who needed to survive that storm. God had appointed that he was to appear before Caesar. Technically, the others on that ship didn’t need to survive and just on the basis of their actions they deserved to die. Yet God spared their lives (an indication of His Goodness to all) and the Contemporary English Version goes as far as to say in verse 24, “And because of you {Paul}” … their lives will be saved.”

The implications of this verse are staggering. Think for a moment if on our way to church we saw a jogger or someone walking their dog and we said to God, “Lord if that person does not know You, please open their eyes to see Jesus as Lord.” Or, what if we heard an ambulance siren and quietly said, “Lord, thank you for protecting the First Responders and touching the person in need as only You can.” What if that became a habit in our lives? How could that change the dynamics of peoples’ lives we will otherwise never know?

This should be such an encouragement to us as believers. Our sphere of influence goes way beyond those who are close to us relationally. Think of the impact this will have on those around us if we take this truth seriously in our lives. We will no longer be longing to be used by God more because our mission field becomes wherever our day takes us.

 Crossing paths can make an eternal difference. Imagine the feeling, if upon entering heaven we hear the Lord say, “Because of you,’ I was able to touch the life of  this person and that person.”  Without a doubt it will be heavenly!!