“And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a riverside, where prayer was wont to be made: and we sat down and spake unto the women who were there. 14. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. 15. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us saying, if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come unto my house; and abide there. And she constrained us.”
The incident mentioned in the text above took place at Philippi during Paul’s second missionary journey. He and Silas encountered a group of women who were having a prayer meeting beside a river, where we are introduced to Lydia, a great woman of God. The text reveals some things about her that we need to know and to emulate. The first thing is that she worshipped God. Lydia was from Thyatira and, evidently, had a business in Philippi as well. Being a seller of purple cloth from Thyatira, she was probably a busy woman, but she took time to observe the Sabbath and to attend a prayer meeting. This is a mark of reverence for the Lord that we should all seek. She was probably a wealthy woman, since she had a house at Philippi to which she invited Paul, Silas and their party. Lydia was not at the river by herself because other women were there with her. She not only wanted to worship God, she wanted to worship Him in fellowship with other people. We need to worship God when we are alone, but we should also crave worship with other believers. The second thing is that Lydia was open to the word of God. Notice that the text said “whose heart the Lord opened.” She made herself available to the Lord and was open to learn about Him. The text tells us that Lydia listened attentively to the word of God about Jesus while Paul spoke about Him. While she listened, the Lord opened her heart and she was converted to Christ. The Lord opened her heart because she was interested in and receptive to the word of God. We know that the Lord will not force Himself into our lives. He could if He wanted to, but He does not. He responds to our response. I think that while Paul spoke, the Holy Spirit was speaking to Lydia’s heart. Her heart was open and she responded. How open are you to the word of God, not just to be saved, but to grow in your faith? Every time we read the Bible, or hear it preached, we should be open to whatever truth God has for us there. Too often we see with our eyes and hear with our ears, but our hearts are not open to the truth that we see and hear. The word needs to find its way into our hearts, minds and souls. What happened to Lydia should happen to us each time that we break open the word of God, or whenever we hear it preached or taught. The Bible has a message for the heart and begins its work in our lives from there. Third, Lydia became involved in the work of God. This is ultimately the point in worshipping God and being open to His word. When we take it all to heart, we want to serve the Lord as Lydia did. In verse 15, Lydia invited Paul and Silas to stay at her house – which they did. In verse 40, after the incident with the Philippian jailor, we are told that they “entered the house of Lydia when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them and departed." A church was meeting at Lydia’s house in Philippi. She was not only saved, she also became involved in the work. Many church members today need to follow her example. We do not know a lot about Lydia, but what we know lets us know that she was a great woman of God and that she made difference in Philippi, and I’m sure in Thyatira also. We need to follow her example. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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