Welcome to Redeem the Commute. I’m Ryan, your host for this daily challenge. It’s Thursday, the day we try to apply and live out what we’ve learned this week from the Bible. This week we’ve been studying the story of Paul and Lydia, a woman who generously opened her heart to Jesus, her home to Paul and his companions, and her faith to her family.
Her generosity was a sign of her faith and conviction.
And I asked you yesterday if anyone would look at your generosity and see it as a sign of God alive in you. Whatever your answer, what matters is what you do next, not where you’ve been previously.
Let’s look at those three ways Lydia was generous. She generously opened her heart to Jesus, and his story as Paul told it. She was willing to listen and learn when others taught, and she was open to challenging new ideas.
Would others describe you as open and generous in your time, thoughts and opinions? Write down some people who you’ve shut out or shut down.
The second way Lydia was generous was when she opened her home to Paul and his companions, insisting they stay with her while in her city. She had seen Paul’s generosity in travelling to her city, giving up a comfortable life at home for the sake of the gospel, and clearly got the message. Following Jesus meant sharing her possessions and resources with others, even though hers were far more significant than Paul’s, since she was a dealer in luxury textiles.
Would others describe you as generous with your possessions and finances? Write down those the names of those who’ve needed something from you, but you haven’t helped.
The third way was when Lydia shared the good news about Jesus, that she just barely heard herself, and immediately shared it with her family. She’d just been baptized, and had her family baptized as well. How could she keep good news to herself? She immediately realized she was in possession of the best news ever, and had to tell others.
Would others describe you as someone who shared their faith? I don’t mean someone who forces their faith on others, but someone whose joy at following Jesus is obvious and attractive to others.
Write a list of those you’ve hidden your faith from.
Challenge: Write those three lists: Those you’ve shut out, those you’ve not shared with, and those you’ve hidden your faith from. Pick one name from each, and plan a way to generously share your heart, resources and faith with them.