Posted by MaryEllen on
Adapted from the study ‘She, volume 1.‘
Read: Acts 16:11-14
“…she was among the group of women who gathered on the Sabbath by a riverside to pray.”
We put out to sea from Troas and sailed a straight course to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis,12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed in this city for some days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to speak to the women who had assembled there. 14 A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, a God-fearing woman, listened to us. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying.
Acts 16:11-14
Friends, this one hit close to home for me. Have you ever heard of or participated in a “cardboard testimony time”? We did one at our church about 10 or 15 years ago. People were given a piece of cardboard, and on one side they wrote what they used to be (an addict…lost…condemned…) and on the other who/what they were now (sober…found….forgiven…). I couldn’t help but think of that event when I was working through the study guide on Lydia(p 25) and saw:
SHE TRADED HER RELIGION
Adapted from: She, Volume 1, p 25
FOR A RELATIONSHIP
While there are many ways we could think of that Jesus has changed us, I can picture Lydia, excitedly labeling her cardboard for her family, neighbors, and friends: “I was Religious, but now I am saved!” There was a time in my life when my piece of cardboard would have been very similar to Lydia’s. You see, I was saved somewhere around the age of six, but somehow I never understood what it meant to have a true and active relationship with the Triune God (Father, Son, and Spirit) until much later in life. What a life-changing journey it has been since that day!
I was religious – BUT NOW – I have a relationship with God!
What does that mean exactly?
A pastor/friend helped me understand that while God “so loved the world,” His love is personal. He cares about me (1 Peter 5:7) as an individual, not just as part of a group of believers; after all, He left the 99 to rescue me (Luke 15:3-7). When I draw near to Him, His Word says He will draw near to me (James 4:8). When I confess my sins, He is faithful and just to forgive me of my sins (1 John 1:9). Scripture is filled with passages that reveal His personal love for us, and if we stay alert we will see evidence of it in our lives … the peace He delivers right when we’re about to break… the way He provides for a need right when we are desperate for it… the protection that only He could have provided … the healing that only He could have made possible …and perhaps the most life-changing evidence of His person love – is how He pursued me and pulled me from the pit of sin time after time. Oh, the height, and depth, and width of His personal love and tender care are as vast as the oceans – and once you experience them, your life will never be the same again.
How did things change?
Prayer is more personal…forgiveness replaces guilt…conversation replaces a silent one-sided prayer…awe replaces fear…outward vision replaces an inward one…legalism has been replaced by freedom…obedience is a response to my love of/for God and no longer simply a habit or ritual. I expect this story of transformation will continue to grow as I live and grow in Him, for He isn’t finished with me yet.
Friends, please hear me when I say – these changes are not perfected, and they certainly don’t make me perfect – but because of the changes, my walk with God is no longer centered around the expectations of man but rather on my relationship with God. I no longer turn away from Him when I sin; instead, I turn toward Him with a repentant heart, broken that I have fallen short and brought Him grief. I no longer try to make myself look or seem better than I really am because I know that He knows me from the inside out. He has seen me at my worst and yet still LOVES me. There was a season of my life when I had Him in a “box” for Wednesdays and Sundays, but now – He walks with me and I with Him – 24:7:365. He is God of the mountains in my life just as surely as He is of the valleys. He is bigger than I ever understood – and His LOVE is richer than I ever imagined; and the more He shows me of Himself, the deeper and fuller our relationship grows.
Reflection/Application:
- What example have you seen of religion rather than a relationship?
- What is essential to having a relationship with God?
- What keeps those who are saved stuck in religion, but having no personal relationship with God?
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
James 1:22
Friend, do you know Him today, truly know Him? If not or if you’re unsure, I would love to introduce Him to you or chat with you about Him. Comment “Know Him” below or message me questions or concerns at mryelnb@aol.com (subject line: “Know Him”).
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Me From the Inside Out 