Thoughts I've Been Thinking

I want to be a Lydia.

A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira,
a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.
Acts 16:14

I hope that if people are talking about me 2,000 years from now, they will be able to say the same things of me that are said of Lydia...that I was a worshipper of God, that I listened and that I allowed the Lord to open my heart and respond to what I see around me.

Also what struck me about this verse is the sequence.
Lydia
1. Worshipped
2. Listened
3. Let the Lord move her heart
AND THEN
4. Responded.

How often do we--and by we, I mean, I--respond first and listen later? How
much less would we say the words "I'm sorry" if we listened before
responding? And, not only listen...but she worshipped. Her first action
was not about filling her own needs, but praising the God she knew to
be real even before she really knew who He was.

I want the patience of Lydia that took the time to worship, listen and let the
Lord move before I respond to the things in my life.

Also thinking about...

You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being
manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of
stone but on tablets of human hearts.
1 Corinthians 3:2-3

The more I think about this, the more it gets me.

Think about the last time you wrote a letter (ok, or a long email...even a blog)...to let someone know what you are doing, what is
going on in your mind, where you are. You wrote with a purpose.

Well, folks, the very same hand that hung the stars and penned the very Scriptures we treasure has written the story of your life and mine. That thought alone is mind-blowing.

Not only did He write it, He wrote it with a purpose, with a goal, with an end in mind. He wrote our lives as a letter. He wrote your story and mine to let others,
those in our lives, those who watch us live...to let them know what He is doing, what He thinks, where He is and, most importantly, how very much He loves them.

Think about the stories of the people who drew you to Jesus...their stories are a letter to you from the Creator of the universe so that you would know where to find Him.

I hope that we will all know where the Lord is...and will act in patience as we worship, listen and respond to the places and circumstances He opens our hearts to.