Witnesses

Devotion for the Week...

Years ago, Paul and I watched the show The West Wing and loved it. Now we're watching it again with our two older boys and I'm loving the anticipation of certain episodes and scenes when I know what's coming, but the boys don't.

There is one scene that has stuck with me since the first time I watched it, from an episode near the beginning of season two. It's not one of the most dramatic scenes or one of the funny ones. It's not even an important scene, really. The two-part episode is full of flashbacks that show how the various characters came to be part of the staff while now-President Bartlett was still campaigning for the nomination. In one of the flashbacks, Josh is invited to go hear Governor Bartlett speak and on the way he stops to visit his friend Sam. Before he leaves, Josh asks Sam "If I see the real thing in Nashua, should I tell you?" Sam responds by saying, "You won't have to. I'll see it on your face." The scene that has stuck with me for years is when Josh returns to Sam's office, where Sam is in a meeting, and stands outside the door, grinning and pointing to his face. Sam, of course, understands and leaves his meeting immediately to go with Josh and join the campaign.

That scene is always what I think of when I read John 1:43-45: "The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, 'Come, follow me.'...Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.'” I picture Philip standing in front of Nathanael, grinning, because he knew that Jesus was 'the real thing.'

Like Philip, we have found Jesus and now we can share Him with others who need Him. Jesus said to His disciples, "you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Witnesses don't have to have special degrees in theology. They don't have to be skilled public speakers or teachers. They don't need any special qualifications at all, actually. They simply need to share what they have witnessed. Josh told Sam that he had found a good candidate for president. We can tell people about Jesus' offer of salvation, about the love of God that provided a way for us to have a relationship with Him, about healings that we have seen or experienced in our own lives.

I couldn't resist using my newest Night Sky quilt for the background again this week 😊

We have the privilege of telling others about Jesus, so what have you witnessed? Who can you share that with?