Lydia: A Conversion Experience

Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
- Acts 16:14 -

Lydia's conversion was brought about by providential circumstances.

She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira. 

 

But providence had led her to the right spot at the right time to hear Paul preaching at Philippi.

Grace was preparing her soul for the blessing.

She did not know the Savior. 

 

But as a Jewess, she knew many truths about Jesus.

Her conversion was through the means of grace.

On a Sabbath, she was at a prayer meeting.

The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

She did not open her own heart. 

 

Paul did not do it for her.

The Lord Himself opened her heart to receive His words.

The first outward evidence of the opened heart was obedience.

As soon as Lydia had believed in Jesus, she was baptized.

The next evidence was love.

 

It was manifested in Lydia's acts of grateful kindness to the apostles.

The Lord had opened Lydia's heart. 

 

Lydia immediately served Christ and she helped His people.

Literacy

Will you marry someone who is illiterate?

Is it very important to you to marry someone who can read and write?

These were among the questions lingered in my mind when I started to choose my life partner many years ago.

Of course, it will be good if both of you can read and write; it helps a lot in the everyday interaction and activities.

But what if you decide to love someone who just cannot read and write? Will you marry him or her?

Some said love is irresistible and beyond boundary.

They said family background, literacy, social status, race and nationality, etc should never be a hindrance to love.

Will you agree? Will your family agree?

So what would you do? Would you marry her? Would you marry him?

As for me, what is important in love and marriage is UNDERSTANDING.

Do you understand one another?

Can you accept one another in everything?

Do you forgive one another and try to do better for one another as days go by?

Understanding is better than literacy.

I have seen wise and clever people who are impossible to get along with;

I have seen illiterate people who are so helpful and kind, and humble.

Love break all laws! All boundaries!

Love breaks all barriers!

Love needs trust, understanding, dedication, respect and commitment.

Love doesn't need literacy!

Do you agree with me?

No One Wins A War

To many, winning is everything.

We strive to win over our enemies through brutal forces. We beat them and then we torture them, only to discover that we have suffered many losses as well. Many are left with broken limbs and lacerated faces. Many are left destitute and homeless. And many are left orphans and have to beg for a living. We win the fight but we lost the war. In fact, no one really wins a brutal war.

We have quarrels and disagreements among family members and relatives. We have jealousy and envy. We have many incidents of backstabbing and gossiping. Everyone yearns for an upper hand, and nobody wants to lose. And the whole family is teared apart. We no longer see eye to eye with one another. Years later, we may meet again at old age, and we may hug one another and cry bitterly over our follies. Yeah, No one really wins a family war.

So are our relationships with all others. Never think that you can win the war by brutal forces or craftiness. History has shown us again and again that no one really wins a war.

Only love can. The crying and pleading of the heartbroken parents always soften the hearts of the children and bring close a broken relationship. The crying and screaming of orphans and vulnerable children always cause many good soldiers to refrain from moving forward.

Yeah! Only love saves the world from the wars.

Quarrels

Children quarrel fiercely, parents start to get very angry and ready to explode. The atmosphere becomes tense. Everyone is focusing on the fight. Situation is getting desperate and beyond control. The fight is about to begin.

Parents interfere and make things worse. Quarrels break out between parents and children. Sometimes it ultimately leads to long disputes and quarrels between parents themselves.

Then the family begins to break down and it takes a long while to repair the damages done. Then there are family that just refuses to reconcile and in due time each member has to live a solitary life. How sad.

And it all started with a little misunderstanding. It escalates when someone gets his feelings hurt and uses a little sarcastic language. And then the fight started…

The first and foremost priority for us to do is to find a solution and get a situation under control as soon as we can.

Never add fresh fuel to a quarrel. Words like "Who started it?", "Why can't you all play together nicely?", "Stop it or you will be punished", "but he is your little brother", "I have reminded you many times, but you are stubborn huh", "You better stop it or else!" .... should never be used if you don't want the situation to get worse.

Maybe separate them to different rooms and counsel them individually can help.

But what if you are a single parent or if your spouse is not around? As it is, husbands should remember to thank their wives for taking care of their naughty children, and strive to spend more time at home helping out with the kids! And children should be more reasonable in their demands for attention and love, and seek to be more responsible and caring for one another in their home.

True love seeks to help the other persons in needs.

Keep the family together by being strong, caring, loving and understanding.

Can we?