She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Acts 16:17
This loud mouthed, fortune-telling young slave girl had become a regular aggravation to Paul as he made his daily trek to a place of prayer. After many days Paul turned and said to the spirit possessing this woman, “In the name of Jesus Christ, come out of her!”
Things didn’t go well for Paul and Silas after this act of healing. There is no further record of the young woman who lost her lively hood and that of her owner. BUT! A few hours later, wrongly flogged and imprisoned Paul and Silas experience the miracle of freedom from bondage and lead their jailer and his household to salvation.
This narrative leaves two legacies. Sinful man acts predictably. The slave owner is outraged that his easy money is cut off, shows little respect for any other human and keeps his mouth going about his rights as a Roman citizen until he starts a riot that robs two other Roman citizens of their liberties. Godly men make beautiful history. Because they are disciplined to daily prayer, they free a woman from an unwelcome spirit, respond to their injustice with praise and prayer, and when a natural disaster breaks their chains, they remain in place to minister to the frightened, hopeless and lost. Finally, they use their ‘rights as Romans’ to further the gospel, not oppress others.
You get to choose. Which legacy do you want to embrace?
Have a great day!
Gretchen