Clever Free Methodist

  There are a lot of interesting mentions of women in the Bible. Whether it is the Old Testament or New Testament, there are many strong, yet oddly missed, lessons from women that we can familiarize ourselves with to strengthen our faith.   One such woman is named Lydia. She provides a very powerful lesson for us. We find one particular mention of her in the book of Acts. Acts 16:14 , says that Lydia “reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying.”   Lydia is actually a significant person in the New Testament. She is described as “a dealer in purple goods” (Acts 16:14). Pointing that out is quite a clue. Dealing in “purple goods” was considered a luxury in the ancient world.   It is probably safe to say that she was both a woman of great financial means and able to deal successfully with the influential people of her time. She was also noted as having a great gift of persuasion.   I think she might have been the only person in the New Testament w

There is a verse in the New Testament that every Christian should not only memorize but embrace as a truth to be shared with the world. It is  Mark 1:15 (NLT) ,  “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” Jesus proclaimed a direct command and challenge to everyone He saw with this very command. He proclaimed the need to repent and reform. This was more than just changing your opinion or a particular belief. It is a change of heart, mind, and life.   The word for “repent” in this Gospel passage that Mark uses is the Greek word  “metanoia.”  This word does not simply mean to be sorry for our sins, as appropriate as this is. The word means literally to  turn around and go in the opposite direction . It means “to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins.”   This repentance means to make a 180-degree turn in our lives when the direction we are going is leading us away from God. We must turn our