Friday EP - September 1 (Psalm 22; Acts 28:1-16)

As we near the end of our evening prayer reading of the Acts of the Apostles, we find Paul and his companions shipwrecked on the island of Malta, where the residents showed them kindness and hospitality. They did not know what to make of Paul, as Paul simply does among them the same things Jesus did.

It is sometimes hard to know what to make of the gospel. The Lord of the universe is a crucified first-century day laborer who rose from the dead? But it is the deeds of people who have faith in Jesus and follow in his ways that provide the only testimony to the truth of the gospel that matters. Paul never planned to visit Malta, but his presence there witnessed to Jesus and the power of resurrection.