Acts 28:11-16 :

After three months, we set sail in a ship of Alexandria which had wintered in the island, whose sign was “The Twin Brothers.” Touching at Syracuse, we stayed there three days. From there we circled around and arrived at Rhegium. After one day, a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli, where we found brothers, and were entreated to stay with them for seven days. So we came to Rome. From there the brothers, when they heard of us, came to meet us as far as The Market of Appius and The Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God, and took courage. When we entered into Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard, but Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him.

They stayed there on Malta for three months, finally deciding that waiting until winter was over was a good idea. I am sure the centurion guarding Paul was effected by the things that he had seen. Can you imagine being the one who had to “guard” Paul? He must have been amazed by all of his dear friends who traveled from long distances just to see him. Almost everywhere people were either already believing in Jesus or were interested and getting miraculously healed. It’s not a big surprise that the centurion gave Paul special treatment among the prisoners.

Paul really had a passion to be with the Roman Christians. Notice that just the sight of them encouraged him. That is the kind of love God can give us. He can cause us to ignore our own troubles and long to take care of others. It’s just like becoming a father or a mother. The cares of our single life fade into the past and we become very interested in taking care of the members of our families. Like Paul, it is important for us to see that all Christians are a part of our true family. That’s the kind of love we are to have for each other.