Witnessਨਮੂਨਾ

What story is your life writing? What kind of legacy are the words coming out of your mouth and the work you are putting your hands to leaving behind? Finally, when it is all said and done, who does the way you live your life point to - Jesus or yourself? These are the kinds of questions that are worth continuously revisiting as you move through the various seasons of life.

So far in this reading plan, we have looked at how being a witness for the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not just a task on our to-do list, but instead, a witness is the person we are becoming as we prioritize living in close proximity to Jesus.

Today, we will consider one final element in our definition of what it means to be a Witness. A witness is someone for whom it has become natural, almost automatic, to do the kind of things he or she sees Jesus doing.

If the way we live our lives is going to be a testimony pointing others to Jesus, we need to have a clear understanding of the things that Jesus did during His earthly ministry. Here are just a few of the many examples of what He did that we see written in the Gospel accounts:

Jesus saw value in people that society had cast aside, calling them into a life of apprenticeship and intimate friendship. (See Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 1:16-20, and Luke 19:1-10)

Jesus breathed new life into the physical suffering of people all around Him. Suffering that often kept them at arm's length spiritually from their community. (See Matthew 8:1-17)

Jesus called people to repentance, told stories that helped them understand the ways of the kingdom of heaven, and gave all of the glory to His Father in Heaven in everything He did and said. (See Luke 13:1-5 and Luke 14-18)

Jesus, in His final act of obedience, endured death on a cross, paying the ultimate penalty for your sin and mine, and on the third day, rose again, overcoming death. (See John 19-20)

Perhaps it might be fitting to conclude this series in much the same way we began. "Now more than ever, our friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers who will spend eternity somewhere - need everyday followers of Jesus like you and me to stand up and testify to His saving work on the cross. And to testify to His transforming work in our lives."

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