Sent off to Rome on a Mediterranean sailing ship, Paul experienced a shipwreck (cf. Acts 27:13-44). Paul and his guards wintered on Malta. The next spring, when he reached Rome, a company of Christians welcomed him. From Rome (cf. Philippians 4:22), Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi about his God-based confidence, both in life and in death.

• We’ve read that Paul invested time and effort in major cities like Corinth and Ephesus. Now he saw first-hand the results of that focus. He had never been to Rome, yet as he arrived, Luke wrote, “the brothers and sisters there heard about us, (and) they came as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us.” Imagine the flood of satisfied joy reflected in the words, “When Paul saw them, he gave thanks to God and was encouraged.” When have you seen the time and effort you invested in others make a difference, perhaps larger than you ever dreamed? In what people or godly causes are you currently investing?
• Writing Philippians, we believe, from a prison cell (not reflected at the end of Acts), Paul summed up his attitude: “Living serves Christ and dying is even better.” Many of us can affirm the first part of the sentence; the second part may be more of a challenge. Hebrews 2:15 said by dying and rising again, Jesus “set free those who were held in slavery their entire lives by their fear of death.” Clearly that was true for Paul. Has Jesus’ presence set you free from the fear of death? In what ways is it liberating to surmount that fear?