To all of our American readers: happy Independence Day! May your celebrations be filled with God's joy and peace!
“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.” Acts 16:13-14
When we follow Jesus, we represent Him on earth. Think about that for a minute: us lowly human beings stand for the Creator of the universe. Our character reflects God’s character. And others are going to assess whether God is worth getting to know based on what we do and say.
In Acts 16, we read of some early Christians whose passion and love for Christ was contagious; when they shared about what God had done through Jesus, a wealthy woman named Lydia couldn’t help but respond. She heard Paul’s words and saw the lives of these Jesus followers, and the Lord opened her heart to receive their message of hope.
How often we forget the powerful God we represent and the important task we’re called to! It’s not enough to live silently among those who don’t know Christ; we need to share verbally about what He has done, and what He promises to do.
Because of Paul’s words that day, Lydia became a follower of Christ. And as a result, she went on to impact everyone around her!
Dear God, thank You for Your message of hope in this dark world. Help us to not be silent, but to share who You are to people in our lives. May what we say and do be a reflection of who You are. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Do you have a difficult time talking about your faith to those in your life who don’t know Christ? Discover your own story of finding Jesus, and then share it with someone!