Tara-Leigh Cobble

And they say that timing is a shame because if Paul hadn't appealed to Caesar and King Agrippa had been allowed to decide his case, then he would have been set free.

But even in what seems like terrible timing, God is at work.

And that's where I saw my God shot today.

Even though Paul missed his chance at freedom, God is still directing Paul's steps according to his plan.

We'll continue to see that, but even Paul sees it already.

Today in 2622, he said, "...to this day I have had the help that comes from God."

Think about all he's been through, trial after trial, false accusations, character assassination, torture interrogations, beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment, you name it.

And even in all of that, he says he sees God's help every step of the way.

Paul has his eyes set on eternity.

He has his heart set on the glory of God.

And he knows help looks very different with that mindset than if he were seeking his own good.

He refuses to trade the temporary for the eternal.

And even though the road is hard and lonely and frustrating, God equips him with all he needs along the way.

God is our helper, and he's where the joy is.

Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.

If you're doing our New Testament plan, today we finished our 11th book.

And if you're doing the whole Bible, we finished book number 50.

Yesterday, we finished up with Paul telling us what it looks like to love each other well.

And today he opens by continuing that line of thought.

He reminds us that there's room for a lot of different personal opinions and preferences in the body of Christ, and that we shouldn't give each other grief over those differences.