Today’s Bible Journaling is from Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (NASB) Today’s devotional was about witnessing about Christ and telling others what He has done. I must admit, I’m not great about doing one-on-one witnessing. I’ve never been one to just strike up a conversation with someone about accepting Jesus into their lives. I have done it, don’t get me wrong, but those were instances where the other person left a door open for me to share, or they initiated the topic.
I’ve been around people who insert Jesus into everything, even when it was completely off topic and at times when it seemed inappropriate. You know the saying, “Too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.” One person I knew saw something prophetic in everything she saw, even normal every day occurrences, and there was nothing spiritual about what was happening or what she saw. It caused people to not want to be around her. In those instances, they become more of a hindrance to unbelievers than a help. For me, it just seems awkward to try to insert Jesus into conversations that are not spiritual in nature. Kind of like, someone says good morning and instantly they’re hit with, “Do you know Jesus?”
I want my witnessing to be God-ordained, and God-honoring. I want Him to present the opportunities and help me to be aware of those opportunities. In the last year I’ve found that God presented Bible Journaling to me as an avenue to minister to others. Bible Journaling and writing my blog have both been God-ordained. So, I’m finding my ministry in writing and Bible Journaling. My prayer is that someone will find Jesus through these avenues He has provided.
In thinking about witnessing and tying it in with today’s verse, I thought about what happens when we hear God’s Word. Romans says that as a result of hearing God’s Word, faith comes. Then I thought about once we have faith and continue in God’s Word, what is the outcome? The idea of growth came to me. That little mustard seed of faith grows the more we delve into God’s Word, and in order to plant a full garden, we need to share Jesus with others so that they also can grow. Then as they grow and share, others come to faith in Christ and begin to grow.
Do I need to work on witnessing one-on-one? Yes. God’s Word says that we are to “go into all the world and preach the gospel.” (Mark 16:15 KJV) That’s our job! We are to make disciples. (Matthew 28:19 NASB) Is it easy? For some, it seems effortless, for others like me, it isn’t so easy. I think partly that’s because Satan puts fear into us and lies to us telling us that no one wants to hear it, or that they’ll make fun of us and we’ll be ostracized. At those times I must think about what Jesus went through when He was on earth. He was ridiculed, beaten, betrayed, denied, shunned, and ultimately killed to bring us salvation. For those of us who live in countries where sharing the Good News of Jesus is not a crime or looked down on, we can honestly say that we’ve never gone through any of that. Maybe a little ridiculing goes on, but nothing like what He went through.
So, this is an area of my life that needs work. As I share Jesus with others, not only do they have an opportunity to come to Him, but I get a benefit as well. It causes growth in my own life. For me, the hardest people to reach are family members. I think that for most of us we will say family is the most difficult. Especially if they have stated in no uncertain terms that they don’t want to hear it. That’s when a lot of prayer and living the Christ-filled life in front of them comes into play. Our actions must follow our words, otherwise we’re just a lot of noise to them. My prayer for today is that God will help me in my effort to witness to others, and that He will show me those opportunities, and that I will be aware of them and respond.
donnasmusings 
Donna, I so relate to what you’re saying! Just bringing up Jesus in the middle of conversation doesn’t come naturally to me. BUT I certainly want to share Him! Sometimes I AM able to share with someone how He has helped ME with something, which is pretty non-threatening but leaves the door open for a conversation. That works better for me better than anything but I still feel kind of nervous when I do it. 😉 Blessings.
Jan, thank you for your comment. I have found that once questions are asked, it becomes easier. Like you said, sharing what Jesus has done for us is what appeals to people the most. Then they think that if Jesus did that for them, maybe He can do it for me. I also had the help of being in a singing group when I was in my 20’s, and we would have altar call after every presentation, and that helped me a lot. People came forward because they were ready to accept Jesus, and that made it easier. We also had training in how to witness, that was really helpful. If you ever get a chance to be part of a Billy Graham/Franklin Graham crusade, go for the counselor opportunity. I did that also, and they had excellent training. Once you’ve been through that, it isn’t so hard. God bless you.