Acts 16:14

And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one that worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things which were spoken by Paul.

Lydia, a seller of purple ... An expensive purple dye, made of the murex shell, was one of the most valuable commodities of antiquity; and Lydia's engaging in trade of such a product surely indicates some considerable capital. This was the dye that gave rise to the words "royal purple," suggested by the fact that royalty and the extremely rich were the principal purchasers of it.

Of Thyatira ... What a strange providence is this that, whereas Paul had been forbidden to preach in the province of Asia, in which Thyatira was located, it was nevertheless a citizen of Thyatira who became the first European convert. (Rome of course had many Christians, but it was in character as the great central metropolis of the empire, and not as being in the usual sense European.)

One that worshiped God ... These words emphasize the deeply religious character of Lydia.

Whose heart the Lord opened to give heed ... The obvious means by which God opened the heart of Lydia was that of preaching the gospel to her. Since God gave the gospel, the results produced by it were properly said to be God's action. There is not the slightest suggestion in this place that any fiat on God's part, or any direct action of the Holy Spirit, performed any kind of operation whatever upon Lydia, independently of the word of the gospel proclaimed to her.