A Career-and Christ
A woman's career will lack eternal significance until she finds her answer in the eternal Christ.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the story of Lydia of Philippi, a successful career woman who found true freedom and satisfaction through her encounter with Jesus Christ. Despite her accomplishments as a seller of purple, Lydia discovered that her career could not provide the eternal fulfillment she sought. Tozer draws parallels to modern society, where women have gained freedom but often find themselves just as lost and miserable as before. He urges women today to seek the eternal answer in Christ, as Lydia did, to find true purpose beyond their careers. Ultimately, Tozer calls for a deeper understanding of fulfillment that transcends societal achievements.
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It is a beautiful New Testament story that tells us of Lydia of Philippi, a career woman in her own right, long before there were laws and proclamations to set women free. A seller of purple, Lydia traveled to the market of her day, and undoubtedly she had found freedom and satisfaction in that era when women were not counted at all. But Lydia heard the Apostle Paul tell of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the Lord opened her heart. In Christ she found an eternal answer, which career and position had never been able to give. Now, about conditions today. Our society has set women free to be just as bad as the men-and just as miserable. We have set them free to swear and curse and to set their own morals.
Politically, women are now free to vote just as blindly as the men do.
But I hope women today will find what Lydia found: that their careers will lack the word "eternal" until they find their answer in the eternal Christ, our Lord Jesus!
Sermon Outline
- The Example of Lydia
- A Career Woman in Her Own Right
- Finding Freedom in Christ
Key Quotes
“Our society has set women free to be just as bad as the men-and just as miserable.” — A.W. Tozer
“But I hope women today will find what Lydia found: that their careers will lack the word ''eternal'' until they find their answer in the eternal Christ, our Lord Jesus!” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Women should seek to find their answer in Christ, rather than just seeking freedom from the world.
- A career without Christ can lead to emptiness and misery, but a career with Christ brings true fulfillment.
- True freedom and satisfaction come from finding one's answer in the eternal Christ.