Scripture: Acts 16:13-15 “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’ And she persuaded us.”
Devotional: Lydia, who hailed from Thyatira, was no ordinary resident of the Roman city of Philippi. In a city known for its worship of many gods, she sought to worship the One True God, the God of Israel. There was no formal synagogue in Philippi at the time, so seekers of God met informally on the Sabbath by the river to pray.
Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth, which identified her as a woman of status. When Paul spoke, the Lord worked through his message to open her heart to believe in Jesus, and she and her household were baptized. As the first convert in this Roman city of Philippi, it is likely that her home became the place where the first Philippian church was birthed. She used her God-given influence to not only show hospitality to Paul and his companions but to serve as a gathering place for the church of Jesus Christ.
Lydia went from being a seeker of God to one who was found by Him; one who then gave her life fully to His service and to make Him known to others.
Reflect:
- Reflect upon your own story of seeking God. How has He made himself known to you? What have you done as a result?
