A Free Blessings Unlimited Devotional

Blessings Unlimited
Previous Devotional Messages

ABUNDANT BLESSINGS

There is a short passage in the Bible about a woman named Lydia. She was praying with a group of women by the river bank near Philippi, when Paul and Timothy approached and began speaking to the group about Jesus. Acts 16:14-15 TLB says:

As [Lydia] listened to us, the Lord opened her heart and she accepted all that Paul was saying. She was baptized along with all her household and asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am faithful to the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we did.

The remarkable thing about Lydia was her willingness to receive God’s blessing. She was already a God-fearing woman, and evidently had a successful fabric business. Her life was probably pretty comfortable. But she chose to open her heart to receive Paul’s words, and as a result, God immediately poured in His blessing. Not only was her whole family saved and baptized, but her words show that she was given the gift of hospitality.

Our God is a God of blessing and abundance. John 16:25 NCV says, “Ask and you will receive, so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy.” He anxiously waits for us to trust Him with our work, our homes, our families and our lives. And when we do, He returns them to us a hundredfold:

Anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields—whatever—because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. Matthew 19:29 The Message

In this season of abundance and gratitude, take a moment to open your heart to the new things God has for you. Give Him what you have, and He’ll bless your offering. And may you, like Lydia, receive so much more than you expected!

—Trieste Van Wyngarden, Editor

This devotional message belongs to Blessings Unlimited. You have our complementary permission to reprint it for ministry purposes. Please include the author’s name and the copyright notice as it appears below the article. It may not be used for sale, profit, fundraising, or on another website.