In Acts chapter 16 of the Bible, we learn of a woman named Lydia. She had her own business as a ’seller of purple.’ The dyes used for making purple were expensive and considered a luxury item. So, it’s safe to say that Lydia was a successful businesswoman with lots of resources.
The Bible says that she worshiped God. Yet, right after that we learn that her heart was opened to the gospel that the apostle Paul was preaching in her neighborhood. We see a change in Lydia as she immediately wants to be baptized and serve Paul and the other disciples of Christ. If Lydia worshiped God before this event, why was there a need for God to open her heart? Obviously, if God opened it at this time, then we can logically say it was closed to the gospel before.
I believe that Lydia was one of those persons in the community that was well thought of. She was nice to people, knew about God and worked to please Him and do good things for others. However, here in Acts 16 we see that she discovers the gospel for the first time. She encounters the grace of Jesus Christ and realizes all her efforts to be good and please God are worthless. She is humbled, repents, and enthusiastically embraces Christ.
This all reminded me of Oprah - another person known for ‘The Color Purple.’ She is successful, well thought of, lives by the golden rule, and worships God. Yet, like Lydia was, she is relying on her own works - her own righteousness - to please God. That is a dead end. There is absolutely no way we can earn salvation. We see at the cross of Christ that the wages of sin are death. Only Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. And only by Him going to the cross in our place can we escape the penalty of our sin and be found righteous in Him - and not of our own works. That is the gospel. That is the good news of grace that Lydia embraced!
What about you? Are you trying to be a good person? Are you trying to live by the golden rule and do good works to please God? Or have you encountered and embraced the grace of Jesus Christ?
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