Suffering

"He is no fool
who gives what he cannot keep
to gain what he cannot lose."
- Jim Elliot -

Today I read in Acts 16 the story of where Paul and Timothy are in Thyatira. In this story they are being followed bu a fortunetelling girl that followed them around screaming:

"These men are working for the Most High God.
They're laying out the road of salvation for you!" (Msg)

Then after three days when Paul cant take it anymore. (He is way more patient than that I would probably be, and I would probably get a big chip on my shoulder.) He turns around and casts the demon out of her. As a result the owners of this slave girl drag Paul and Timothy in front of the judges. They are condemned, their clothes are ripped and they are beaten black and blue and thrown into maximum security jail where they were clamped in irons. Then Paul and Timothy start to praise God, I honestly have no idea what they were saying because I would probably be complaining. God then lets the earth shake and opens all the doors and unlocks all the chains of all the prisoners. The guard wants to kill himself because the Roman tradition would have him executed anyway. Paul speaks up and says that all the prisoners were still there. This makes no sense to me because it doesn't say anything about Paul and Timothy's influence on those other prisoners. But it must have been big for them not to run and to stay there, I for one know that I would have run. The guard and his entire household surrender their lives to God. Paul is set free and he says:

"They beat us up in public and threw us in jail, Roman citizens in good standing!
And now they want us out of the way on the sly without anyone knowing?
Nothing doing! If they want us out of here,
let them come themselves and lead us out in broad daylight." (Msg)

The story continues to tell how the judges panicked, apologized, personaly led them out of jail and asked them to leave the city. So here is my question and this was the first time that I noticed this. Why did paul not say while he was before the judge we are Roman citizens? They would not have had their clothes riped, been beaten, and thrown in jail. Why did he choose to let all this pass them by? What could have possed these two men to suffer so willingly? They were falsly accused in the first place!

My desire is to one day rely on God with this much sincerity. To fully know that his provision for the outcome of every situation in my life is for the good of His glory and the furtherment of His kingdom. To be able to say to myself in full conviction that my life belongs to him and he may do as he pleases. To realize that a beating or even death is nothing he hasn't done for me already. I owe my suffering to Him.