Exposition:

In the creation story, the only thing that existed before the material world was God and as such, we must begin all things by placing God in the first place, for that is His place. God’s real concern with financial giants is not necessarily with wealth or poverty, but with righteousness and justice. It must begin with God.

Putting God first in all we do, including our business, is what I term “Godlypreneur”. We must be entrepreneurs who prioritize God in our businesses, empowering us to conduct business in God’s way. Today we will zoom in on Lydia of Thyatira. Lydia was a Purple clothe dealer. Purple dye was the costliest and the most sought-after dye in the Roman world. Because it was a symbol of power and honour, people in royalty and the upper-class nobility were largely her clients. Acts 6:13-15 communicate that Lydia was wealthy and influential, yet she went to the place of prayer. In other words, she was a woman of prayer.

The verse 14 mentions that she was a worshipper as well and was also eager to hear the good news. She was able to persuade her entire family to accept Jesus and be baptized with her. Even though her clients, the powerful religious Jews and the Roman authority, were hostile to Christianity, Lydia was courageous, kind, and compassionate, and she welcomed Paul and Silas with open arms. She had opened her home by doing so for the service of witnessing and sharing the Good News.

A contemporary example is Philip Ng of Singapore, who acclaimed that the missing piece in his life was God through Jesus Christ. He is a “godlypreneur” who values his relationship with Jesus Christ more than anything else after years of searching. This is a charge unto us as “godlypreneurs” to cultivate a deeper walk with the Lord and make Him matter in our lives, just as Lydia did.