Monday, April 20, 2009

MONDAY MANNA



Welcome to Monday Manna. The purpose of this meme is to get together and get to know Christ more through His Word. The first and third Monday of each month, anyone who wishes can post their thoughts on a verse Joanne introduced at her blog the Thursday before. It doesn't have to be a long post -- just a few thoughts, a picture you feel helps express it, a poem, a short story, a devotional.

TODAY'S MANNA:
You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. Acts 22:15


Today I am reminded of how God can rescue ANYONE! Of course, I am an example, and my husband, and many more. But, I remember two stories in particular.

One weekday I was sitting at church in the foyer praying with another lady. A man walked up to the door and knocked. As he entered, he told us that he had some needs and came to see if the church could help. Most of all, he shared his amazing testimony. His Christian sister prayed for him for 17 YEARS before he surrended to Christ as Lord. WOW! Talk about perseverance.

I remember another time being at a teacher's workday. A lady came over and said hello. I went on a school trip with her years agowhen she was not walking with the Lord. At that time, she "thought" she was a Christian, because she went to church:) She had recently given her heart to the Lord and entered into a RELATIONSHIP with her Maker! She was a changed person indeed! Her whole countenance had changed. She thanked me for my "witness".

The interesting thing is that I often fight discouragement in sharing my faith. (Do people really care? Am I really effective?) Sure, I love to talk about it and believe we are all called to preach the gospel. And yet, this Scripture refers to BEING a witness. We often don't know how our mere presence, our character, and our ways affect those around us. My husband, in fact, came to the Lord in part because of a Christian man, who worked in the Navy. This man never shared his faith verbally. Russell just knew this man was different. His lifestyle and gratitude were starkly different from many of the others and Russell noticed.

So, don't underestimate the power of your life. We are witnesses without words. We are effective! God is at work, even when you don't see Him! We are His light and we are desperately needed in this dark hour. I find that as I connect with the Lord daily, I taste of His goodness again. I am recharged and so is my "witness".

May you see and hear of God's greatness and continue to BE a witness, always.




9 comments:

  1. Oh yes! Everything we do and say can be such a witness. No matter how "amazing" our story is, often our actions speak louder than our words. thanks so much for participating in Monday Manna!

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  2. Thanks for your reminder that we can even be a witness without words! Your two examples are beautiful reminders of that!

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  3. Thank you, Laurie...Witnessing comes in many forms and fashions...GOD bless you for being a faithful witness.

    love and prayers, andrea

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  4. I love these examples Laurie. Sometimes our actions are even more important than our words. They SHOW we mean what we profess.

    In Him,
    Beth

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  5. Witnesses without words. So true and something to remember, especially on days when we'd rather crawl into our cave and not come out. =)

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  6. Laurie, you are an amazing witness! I am blessed to be your friend.

    Blessings,
    Mary

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  7. What blessed words of encouragement!!!

    Lovingly,
    Yolanda

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  8. Updated Urgent prayer request for colton on my blog. You will also see a neg. comment from someone in SC and my reply. PLEASE PRAY, andrea

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  9. Blessings Laurie...this truly was putting this verse into your practical witness! It's so refreshing to see your character shine as an amazing witness and it's encouraging to hear that you were able to see FRUIT! This is a true blessing of BEING a WITNESS!!! Thanks Laurie!

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