This was one of the Scripture from my daily Bible reading this morning that God used to really encourage me and I hope it is an encouragement to you as well.
My prayer this morning is that I am the witness that He wants me to be for Him, everywhere I go today and whatever I do! Would you also pray that prayer this morning?
As a Believer the Lord has called us to be witnesses. To be a witness is for someone to tell (testify) about what they have seen or heard through an experience with the subject.
As a believer, we are called to be a witness to those around us about what we have experienced because of what Christ has done in our lives through His life, death, burial, and resurrection as our Savior. The Bible encourages us to do so in different several ways.
First, we do this by what we say each day. Do we speak words of encouragement or words of death and discouragement to those around us? Scripture tells us that life and death are in the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” That does not mean we speak physical life or physical death, but it does mean that we speak life or death into one spirit. Do the words we say build someone up or tear them down?
Did you also see what the end of that verse says? “those who love it will eat its fruit.” What does that mean? It means that what we give, whether life or death, will not only we what we give out to others, but it will also be the fruit that is in our lives as well.
Why type of fruit, live fruit or dead fruit, do you want in your life? It will be determined by the fruit that you give out in the life of others around you.
We also are a witness in what we do. Our actions will either be something that kills one spirit or one that builds up one spirit. If we see someone that is hurting and down, do we go and have compassion in them by helping them or do we ignore them? Scripture tells us that if it is within our power to help them then that is what we are to do. Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so.”
Each of us has the ability and means to be a blessing in the life of others around us through out actions each day. You may say, “Bro. Dee, I am not financially able to help at this time.” But, I am not only speaking about a financial way. We can physically give someone a smile that will brighten their day. Because we all know if you smile, they cannot help but smile back. Another way of doing something to help someone else is to lend a helping hand for a task that they are doing. When was the last time you just stopped what you were doing to help a neighbor or a friend?
A third way of being a witness is to share the Gospel (the Good News) with those around you. When looking at Acts 1:8, we see that Jesus is giving his disciples their final instructs before leaving the earth. In these final words He wants them to fully understand their task of sharing the Gospel.
Since, these are the “marching orders” for the disciples, then we should also understand that they also are our marching orders as Believers today. I believe that it is great to speak words of life as stated above! I also believe that it is wonderful to show acts of kindness to those we encounter each day! But, if we never share the Gospel then we are only being partial witnesses! It is the Gospel that will change lives not just nice words or kind acts! It is the Gospel that can cause a bling man to see, a lame man to walk, or a diseased man to be cleansed. It is the Gospel, based on the finished work of Jesus Christ, that will allow for forgiveness of sin and to secure one’s place in heaven.
So, I want to encourage you today to go out and speak words of life, go about performing good deeds, but make sure that you then tell them about the hope that lies within you through Jesus Christ. God bless!
In Christ,
Bro. W. Dee Daniel