Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. Acts 28:1-5

Paul seemed to be pretty confident that nothing would bring him down before his appointed time. He didn’t seem to be worried about the snake that bit him. Of course that shot his status into the stratosphere among the villagers.

It did that, and it also gave him a platform for the few weeks that he was on the island.

Opportunities for ministry and service abound no matter what kind of situation you find yourself in. Hopefully we won’t need to get bitten by a snake to prove a point.