Tag Archives: bearing witness

“In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.” (Ruth 1:1, NIV)

The great works of God — whether in us, with us, or through us — begin in the most humble and common of circumstances.

The story of Ruth and Naomi and their persistent faith, loyalty, and humility began with the compelling — but utterly common — circumstance of famine, and a humble family’s sojourn to a foreign land for the purpose of surviving the famine.

Be utterly faithful to God in even the most boring of times; and look for Him in the commonplace. We often miss experiencing God because He appears to us in rags when we expect Him only in robes. Whether in rags or in robes, God is God. Be vigilant in all circumstances!  – Luther

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“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1Corinthians 11:1, NASB)

All of us are examples for others — like it or not.

As a disciple of Jesus, when people observe us, who is it they see?

Writing to the disciples in Corinth, Paul recognized the possibility that others will pay more attention to the follower’s words and deeds than to the documented life of the Leader.  Our daily challenge is to follow Jesus faithfully in all that we say and do, so that any time that anyone observes us they are seeing Christ at work.

The great 19th-century preacher Dwight L. Moody said: “Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible; the other 99 will read the Christian.”

When the world “reads” you and me, who is it they see?  – Luther

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“But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.” (Acts 8:4, NLT)

We do not get to choose our circumstances, but we do choose how we react to our circumstances.

Today’s scripture reminds us of our predecessors in the faith, who were displaced but used their new circumstance to tell others about Jesus through word and deed.

We will often find ourselves in places not of our own choosing. Will we complain about the inconvenience, the pain, or the expense; or will we view our displacement as an opportunity to let our light shine for Jesus?  – Luther

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