Thursday, March 19, 2020

The Power to Witness

 

[Photo of a Scripture verse]


“But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
—Acts 1:8

The testimony of someone who has experienced a particular event has great power to provide insight, information, and understanding. The best way to encourage someone to consider a thought or idea is to have a person who has benefitted from that thought or idea share how that thought or idea has impacted his or her life.

But, even when something has had a profound influence on their sense of well-being, most people are very reluctant to tell others about what they’ve experienced. This shyness about witnessing to the truth of what has happened in one’s own life comes from a sense that people do not want others to think ill of them.

The antidote to this shyness about witnessing is power given specifically for the purpose of overcoming that shyness. This is what Jesus was explaining to His disciples, as recorded by Dr. Luke in Acts 1:8:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

As we begin another new day, we should spend a moment thinking about the many wonderful ways our relationship with God has impacted our lives. Perhaps we should even make a list of all the things that have made our life better since we responded to God’s call to come and follow Him.

With that list in hand, we should ask God to open up opportunities for us to share how wonderful our life has been since we accepted His gift of mercy, grace, and love. Then, as God brings people across the pathway of our lives, we should gently and tenderly share with them the wonders and amazement that we have experienced from this God who loves us with His unfailing love.

 

Copyright © 2020 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.