Thought for the day:
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
( Reference Acts 1:8 NKJV)
Taken from Miriam-Webster Online Dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/witness):
witness noun
wit·ness | \ ˈwit-nəs \
Definition of witness (Entry 1 of 2)
1: attestation of a fact or event : TESTIMONY
2: one that gives evidence
specifically : one who testifies in a cause or before a judicial tribunal
3: one asked to be present at a transaction so as to be able to testify to its having taken place
4: one who has personal knowledge of something
5a: something serving as evidence or proof : SIGN
b: public affirmation by word or example of usually religious faith or conviction
the heroic witness to divine life —Pilot
6 capitalized : a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses
witness verb
witnessed; witnessing; witnesses
Definition of witness (Entry 2 of 2)
transitive verb
1: to testify to : ATTEST
2: to act as legal witness of
3: to furnish proof of : BETOKEN
4a: to have personal or direct cognizance of : see for oneself witnessed the historic event
b: to take note of our grammar— witness our verb system—is a marvel of flexibility, variety, and exactitude— Charlton Laird
5: to constitute the scene or time of
structures … which this striking Dorset hilltop once witnessed— The Times Literary Supplement (London)
Intransitive verb
1: to bear witness : TESTIFY
2: to bear witness to one’s religious convictions
Here’s a question for us to think about, in looking at the full definition of witness here, what are we doing to be the “witness” that Jesus talked about when He talked to the disciples before He ascended into heaven?
Whether we realize it or not, we are a witness of some sort. We’ve either allowed Him to change our lives, our attitudes, our focus, our devotion or we’ve rejected the change. We’ve either made up our minds to serve Him as a witness or we’ve decided to reject Him as our witness.
Being a witness for Jesus is a full time commitment, not a half hearted, part time, lackadaisical commitment. It means that we set an example to others of His Love, even when it’s not convenient to us. He’s asking for us to go to the outermost parts, in all areas of our lives, not stay in our comfort zones. When we do this, He grows, stretches us and prepares us for more.
Ready to step out in His Challenge of being that witness He’s looking for?
