Accomplishing God's Will - Acts 25:24-25

"Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are here, this is the man whose death is demanded by all the Jews, both here and in Jerusalem. But in my opinion he has done nothing deserving death. However, since he appealed his case to the emperor, I have decided to send him to Rome." When the Apostle Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, he had a hearing before the Jewish High Council. During his testimony before the Council, they began to argue among themselves and Paul was remanded back to prison in Jerusalem. While in prison, God spoke to Paul in a vision and told him he must preach the good news of Jesus in Rome: "That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well" (vs. 23:11). From that point forward, Paul did all he could to get to Rome. When Paul had the opportunity, he claimed his right as a Roman citizen to have his case heard before Caesar (vs. 23:24-29). God didn't tell Paul when and how he would go to Rome, only that He needed Paul to go to Rome and preach the gospel. Even after Paul appealed to Caesar, he didn't immediately go to Rome. He was first taken to Caesarea where he spent two years in prison and had the opportunity to testify before two Roman governors and King Agrippa II. Later, he was shipwrecked at sea on the way to Rome and stranded on the island of Malta for several months (vs. 28:11). God gives us the big picture of what He wants us to do, and leaves it up to us to find ways to follow His plans. So find out what God wants you to do and spend your life trying to accomplish it. It may not happen immediately and you may not get there the way you think, but God will make ways for you to accomplish His will when that is your main priority.