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Purpose & Productivity•8 min read

"Us" Over "Me"

It's really easy to sit by myself and think, what do I need to be doing better for God?

By Kris EmersonAugust 28, 2023Season 5, Episode 35 · "Us" over "Me"
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Season 5, Episode 35 · "Us" over "Me"

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Key Scriptures
Acts 27

The story behind the idea

Not just for two months, he ended up staying a thousand miles from home for 12 years serving as governor of that region. He believed so strongly in honoring God, in the integrity of the nation, and in the need to rebuild and be strong again that he sacrificed himself. He sacrificed his home and his time, and he led the people. The problems he faced during those 52 days weren't personal and individualistic.

What stands out

Let me just say at the nine-minute mark, this is way, way harder. It's really easy to sit by myself and think, what do I need to be doing better for God?

Why it matters

He and Luke and Aristarchus are under kind of a loose guard and they're on a ship headed to Rome. After a little while they come to a place called Fairhaven, where God tells Paul to tell them, This is where you need to stay, this is where I want you to be. The officer and the captain, they decide to go on a little further.

A faithful way forward

He said, first of all, you're going to have to take courage. In other words, you need to have faith that even though you've created this mess, God can help you through it. There was a point a little bit later where a few of them thought that the water was getting more shallow and they wanted to jump in, and Paul said, if you do that, you die.

Put it into practice

This is about a group of people on a journey who are at a safe and good place, but a couple of the people, some leadership, decided it wasn't good enough and took them off into a troubled situation. God comes in and says, You made things worse than it needed to be, but as a group of people, you need to take courage. If any one of you leaves, it puts everyone else in danger.

Think about it

Take the idea with you.

  1. 01What idea from this study most needs my attention right now?
  2. 02Where does this challenge the way I am currently thinking or living?
  3. 03What is one faithful step I can take this week?
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