EquipHer Vol. 34: The “Boss Businesswoman” of the Bibleਨਮੂਨਾ

Who Do You Represent?

Lydia was not selling an ordinary product (see Acts 16:14). Purple dye was the color of wealth and royalty, a symbol of authority, prestige, and sacredness, and a color that kings and priests wore. Being a merchant in purple cloth meant that it was a trade reserved for the elite.

As the book of Acts explains, Philippi was not a place where the Gospel was commonly preached. However, God used Paul to speak to the small group of women by a river (Acts 16:12–13), and it was there that Paul met Lydia. It was there that God opened her heart, and it was there — in a completely secular setting — where the story of the Gospel began to spread throughout Europe.

The first expression of the Gospel on European soil did not take place inside a temple but in a workplace.

Lydia did not have to leave her business to serve God — God called her to serve Him through her business. In doing so, her business became the channel through which the Gospel spread in the very place where He had positioned her.

This reveals the third principle of success according to God: True success means representing Jesus right where you are at.

Whatever your role or level of responsibility, the true measure of success is not how much you achieve, rather, how much of Christ you reveal through what you do.

Lydia’s story shows us that living out our faith in Christ does not mean withdrawing or isolating ourselves from the world, but the opposite: become instruments of influence within the world around us.

That is why God positions us in places where His light can shine through us. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden... Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14–16, ESV)

We are called to bring Christ into spaces where He is not yet known — into environments where faith may feel out of place, where the language of the Gospel is unfamiliar.

Whatever you do, know this: God has intentionally chosen and positioned you so that your life can become a message to those around you. When your faith in God and His Word shapes your decisions, your standards, and the way you treat people, you become a living testimony of who Christ is.

When that happens, every project becomes an altar, every conversation an opportunity, and every day an invitation to make God’s Kingdom visible where it has not yet been seen.

Perhaps the place you are in right now is not a limitation of God’s purpose, but an “invitation” to share His message.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for choosing and positioning me exactly where I am today. Thank you for calling me to represent You. May my life speak of You even when I do not use words. Let the way I work, make decisions, and love those around me reflect Your character. Teach me to carry Your light where there is darkness, to reflect Your peace in moments of tension, and to act with Your integrity when the world follows different standards. Amen.