10 APRIL
THE WITNESS (3)
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14)
A holy lifestyle is part of witnessing. In Genesis 19, Lot had compromised so much and lived so complacently among the ungodly people of Sodom that he was no longer a reliable witness for God and the truth. In fact, he seemed to have lost his sense of right and wrong, which made him to offer his two daughters in place of his two male visitors to the mob of homosexual men who wanted carnal knowledge of them. Even when God in His mercy offered to save him, Lot hesitated, reluctant to leave his wealth, position and the comfort he enjoyed in Sodom. His wife lost her life, for looking back in desire for those things. It was such a sad situation.
Let me briefly share a story with you to show how one can lose the power for effective witnessing. A minister was walking down the street when he came upon a group of boys, all of them between 10–12 years of age. They had surrounded a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he went over and asked “What are you doing with that dog?” One of the boys replied, “This dog is just an old neighbourhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we’ve decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog.”
Of course, the Reverend was taken aback. “You boys shouldn’t be having a contest telling lies!” he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten minute sermon against lying, beginning, “Don’t you boys know it’s a sin to lie,” and ending with, “Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie.” There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the Reverend was beginning to think he’d gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, “All right, give him the dog.”
Do you think the boys would be willing to go to church to listen to this minister preach?
ACTION: Ask yourself, am I a faithful witness to God by my faith, conduct and lifestyle; or am I so blended in my environment that I am unnoticed and useless to God?
PRAYER: Lord, please, make me useful to you.