October 26: WOMEN

Believe it:

And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 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. And when she and her household were baptized… Acts 16:13-15a

Live it:

We can learn three lessons from today’s text.
1. Our good decisions help our family. The story of Lydia is powerful, not only because she gave herself to God, but her whole family did so as well. Other members of our own families will be impacted in a positive way when we make good decisions. Lydia brought blessings to her own family and undoubtedly to many others.
2. Only God can open the heart. Converting others is not our task. We are responsible to introduce them to the message of Jesus. From there the Holy Spirit will do His work. God is working in the heart of every person. When the call was made that Sabbath there were probably some who rejected it. Don’t worry about the ones who reject it; rejoice with the ones who, like Lydia, choose Christ.
3. Worship is not enough. You must make a decision. On that Sabbath when Lydia accepted the invitation to give herself completely to God, it was not the first Sabbath she had gone to church. There are those, like Lydia, worshiping in our churches, but not yet committed. It is not enough to be a listener. One must take the relationship with Jesus to the next level: to be baptized into the family of God.

Share it:

Do you know a woman who needs to make a decision for Jesus, or return to Him? Invite her to the meetings. Offer to provide transportation.

My prayer today: for women who need to be baptized

-Pray that God will remove all obstacles to making decisions.

-Pray that your invitation to the meetings will be accepted.

from God’s City, My City