Kind treatment - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2025

And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment.
Acts 27:1

Kind treatment
Paul was a prisoner. He could no longer freely control his movements. Others decided when and how he should come to Italy. During this journey he was under the supervision of the Roman centurion Julius. From a human point of view, it now depended on his goodwill how well or how badly Paul would fare.

We too experience situations in which we have no freedom decide for ourselves what we are going to do. At work or in military service, others often determine how our day goes. In that case, a lot depends on our superiors. If they are unfair or harsh we may experience difficulties. If they treat us decently it is more bearable for us.

On the journey to Italy, the ship docked at Sidon. Acts 27:3 says: "Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care." In His mercy, God saw to it that the centurion allowed the imprisoned apostle to visit his friends. Julius did not have to give this permission, but he did because he was kind to Paul.

We also sometimes have superiors who treat us well and allow us to do something they don't necessarily have to. Do we thank God for this, the One who is behind everything and shows us this kindness? Isn't it His grace that sometimes makes a difficult situation easier for us?

Today's reading: Numbers 17:16-28 · Matthew 11:20-30