THINGS GOD OPENS TO BLESS PEOPLE

Part 2

Acts 16:14-15

Morning Meditation 8/9/17

"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us."

We saw in the last meditation how God can open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that is greater than one can receive. We also saw how God can open a fountain for sin and uncleanness. God is a gracious God and He is constantly doing things for His people many times

when we don't even recognize the source and therefore do not glorify God for the blessing received.

A WOMAN WHOSE HEART GOD OPENED

I will begin today's meditation with Lydia whose heart the Lord opened. There are several things about the heart that it would do well for us to learn:

A SUMMARY OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE HEART

1. The heart is desperately wicked by nature; Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" The heart is the most deceitful thing about the unsaved. We need to take God's word for the condition of the heart and come to Him for the cure.

2. It was the wickedness of the human heart that brought the judgment of the flood upon mankind; Genesis 6:5 says, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Man's heart in that day had become so corrupt that he could not think a righteous thought. His heart was completely polluted with corruption.

3. Man can so sin as to have God harden his heart where he can't be saved; Exodus 7:15, "Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand." God does have the right as Creator of man and man's final judge to harden mans heart so that he cannot be saved. We cannot alway recognize this and should therefore continue our witness and leave the results to God.

4. There is the atheistic heart; Psalms 14:1, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."

5. God knows the secrets of the heart; Psalms 44:21, "Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart." Nothing can be hidden from God. He even knows how one is thinking before he puts his thoughts into action to commit evil.

6. Jesus said the heart is the source of evil. Matthew 15:19-20, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

7. The one who trusts the Lord, his heart is changed; Psalms 33:21, "For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name."

8. The saved have God's law in their heart; Psalms 37:31, "The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide."

9. The saved desire and pray for a clean heart; Psalms 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."

10. Sin in the heart stops answers to prayer; Psalms 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:"

11. One does not have to be afraid of evil tidings if his heart is right with God; Psalms 112:7, "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD."

Lydia was a woman of means who sought the Lord with her heart, so the Lord opened her heart and sent Paul with the message of salvation. Acts 16:14-15, "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us."

If we are willing God will open our hearts also to hear the gospel and receive it. It is the power of God unto salvation and is God's only way of saving the lost.

THE UNDERSTANDING CAN BE OPENED

Luke 24:45-48, "Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things."

Note the following about the Scripture:

1. It is possible to hear the Scripture and be completely in the dark concerning the understanding. Jesus had taught them about these things before.

2. After the Lord's resurrection, He began to show them how what had happened was in fulfilment of the Scripture.

3. The key in this passage is found in the words in verse 45, "Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures."

I think a lot of Christians are right were these disciples were. They have heard the Word, they have read the Word, but they do not understand it. The Bible is not a Book just like any other book. It is God's Word. So we need to pray for understanding. The Holy Spirit can open our understanding so that we are illuminated when we hear and read the Scriptures.

The Christians understanding can be closed. Carnal Christians do not have what this passages is talking about. However, the moment we come to Christ with a willingness to confess our sins and be transparent with Him, He immediately forgives and restores us and opens our understanding.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:39, "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." The life Jesus is speaking of is Spiritual in contrast to the physical life of this world. When we find real life in Christ, we lose the life of the world and all the things that go with it. But in the process we gain real life and what life is all about. Eternal life is that quality of life that comes from God and will never end. But for the Spiritual life to function while we are yet in this life we must forsake the things we love in this world. It is a decision that we have to make. Demas made the wrong decision. 2 Timothy 4:10 says, "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica;" 1 John 2:15-17 says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

It is definitely hard to break with this world and the things we enjoy in it. But we never give up anything for Christ that He does not replace with something greater.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White