Lydia – A Seller of Purple
By Carolyn Dale Newell
Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. Acts 16:14 NKJV
What qualities should a godly woman or man possess? Let’s look at Lydia, a businesswoman and a portrait of godliness.
First, she was a woman of prayer. Paul and his companions found this group of women praying on the riverbank on the Sabbath. Although there was no man to lead them, these Gentile women were committed to prayer. They knew the importance of prayer.
Lydia worshiped God. She worshiped Him with all the truth that had been revealed to her at that time. As Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, “the Lord opened her heart”. Her entire household was baptized along with her.
She was a woman of faith (v. 15). She was faithful in prayer, worship, and service. She had put complete trust in Jesus Christ.
Finally, Lydia was a woman of service. Immediately, she opened her house to Paul and his friends. Her home became the meeting place for the church (v.40). Therefore, her home was likely large, indicating God had blessed her business. She was a seller of purple, an expensive dye primarily bought by royalty. However, she did not allow her career to get in the way of her service to God.
We all have room for improvement in all these areas: prayer, worship, faith, and service. Friend, let’s strive to have a better prayer life. We also need to worship God in truth and in spirit. Let us ask God to increase our faith and we should pray that He will open doors for us to serve Him. May we all become more like this godly woman, Lydia, a seller of purple.
We are not told how Lydia balanced a career, a quiet time with God, and a church in her home. The Bible mentions “her household”. Therefore she likely had family or servants to help her. However, it sounds like Lydia was the best of Mary and Martha put together. In this busy world that we live in, we need to manage our time like Lydia did. We need to remember that time in prayer and service are important, and we must guard that time. We also must guard our faith and worship so that it is ever increasing.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for including Lydia in the Bible. Help us to be like her with the correct balance of career, prayer, worship, and service. Guard those times. Increase our faith in You, Father, and increase our faithfulness to the church and to You. Thank You and it is in Your Son’s Precious Name that we pray, Amen.
Exchange fear for faith, worry for worship, and panic for peace with Carolyn’s new book, Eyes of Faith: Winning the Battle Between Our Feelings and Our Faith
For more encouragement, visit Carolyn at https://amountainoffaith.com/
© 2019 by Carolyn Dale Newell. All rights reserved.
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