May 27, 2019
For full passage click: Acts 16:16-24 …“She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.” vs 18
At first, Paul did nothing when the slave girl persisted in taunting him as he walked through the streets of Philippi. He doubtless recognized her instability but he chose not to respond, he was on his way to the place of prayer. But one day his annoyance bubbled to the surface and he ordered the unclean spirit to come out of her. We know the feeling. We don’t have to look far in our world to find things that annoy us. People with chronic mental disorders wander the streets of all our cities. A glance at newspaper headlines or television news leaves us shaking our heads. Injustice is all around. Congress is caught in gridlock. The world is once again preparing for war. Refugees are on the move. Most of the time we simply continue doing what we’ve been doing—working, playing, praying—but one day there comes a moment when we’re moved to take action in the name of Jesus Christ. A line is crossed and we get involved in addressing the hurts of our world. That response can take many shapes but it always moves us from our comfort zones. We know we can’t fix all the world’s problems, but maybe this one time, in this place, our words and actions can make a difference. And so we speak, and lives are changed!
Thought for the Day: A time when I was fed up and spoke up!
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