PERSONAL WITNESS
PERSONAL WITNESS
In the spirit of Matthew 5:16, we're sharing examples of people who live their faith. May they inspire you to let your light shine even brighter.
When I asked God to help me spread his Word to others, he answered my prayers in an unusual way. I first met Ruth Berndt five years ago when I interviewed her for a research paper. Ruth is a vivacious, 98-year-old woman who still lives in the home her grandfather built in 1863.
As we got to know each other better, we talked about religion. "Whether you call him Buddha, Allah, or Jehovah, aren't all gods the same god?" she asked.
"No," I had to disagree. "There is only one true God." She never once mentioned Jesus, so I did. "I am the way—and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)," I recited.
We talked about Jesus living a perfect life for us and dying on the cross to pay for our sins. "Jesus' resurrection proves he is the one true God," I said.
Ruth thought about that. "You mean only Christians will go to heaven?"
"That passage makes it pretty clear that we can't go to heaven unless we rely on Jesus." That bothered her. Now Ruth and I are reading the book of John together.
When Ruth fell and broke her wrist, she recuperated in a nursing home for a month. As I walked through the lobby to visit, one of the residents called out, "Please, take me home." Down the hall another pleaded, "Take me home!" A third offered payment to take her home. How could I help these lonely people?
I couldn't adopt them all. I chose Ruth. But it made me think, if each of us visited a "grandmother" or "grandfather" weekly, what a difference it would make! Befriending the elderly returns many wonderful blessings. I don’t need tickets for exotic countries to be an ambassador for Christ. All I need to do is make friends. Retirement homes, hospitals, or the backyard fence are wonderful places where the Holy Spirit presents me with opportunities to enlighten and encourage with words from Scripture.
God gives me two ears and one mouth. I figure that Jesus wants me to listen twice as much as I speak. When people sense that I really care, they open their hearts and share their needs. I'm often amazed how the Holy Spirit gives me effective words, working through me in quiet conversations over a cup of coffee.
Author: Wendy Enter
Copyrighted WELS Forward in Christ
Are you looking for opportunities to share Jesus with others? Getting involved in your community is a great place to start.
Are you afraid to be asked about your Christian beliefs because you don't feel prepared? Prepared to Answer and More Prepared to Answer, two books available through Northwestern Publishing House, provide a helpful model for sharing the Christian faith by supplying Scripture-based responses to common objections to Christianity.
I'm a Christian and love the Lord dearly but have a hard time proclaiming him at work. As soon as someone mocks God, I do nothing to defend his holy name. Why is that?
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