Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
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 named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
– Acts 16:13-15
Devotion
After entering the city of Philippi, Paul and his companions went in search of a place to pray. Instead they found a group of women who were gathered by the river. After sharing the Good News of Jesus, Lydia responded in faith to Paul’s message! Immediately she exercised her gift of hospitality and invited Paul’s entourage to come and stay in her house while they were in Philippi. One of the things we see in this passage is that Paul and his companions were open to whatever the Holy Spirit had planned for them. Instead of praying, they took advantage of this opportunity to share the Good News about Jesus. The end result was the salvation of a local business woman who would become a great blessing to Paul and his ministry.
The Big Question
Do you hold your schedule loosely and allow the Spirit of God to trump your agenda? Are you faithful to share the Good News of Jesus in the marketplace? Are you exercising your spiritual gifts in the life of the church? Where are you serving and giving?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.