A Little Witness Goes a Long Way
By Karen Warin
Before I became a Christian 18 years ago, my husband, Leroy, and I lived for a while in the small town of Roswell, NM. People used to say of this place that was 200 miles from anywhere, “It’s not the end of the world, but you can sure see it from there.” The residents were mostly farmers or oil ranchers, and they all seemed to be Baptists! There was a church on almost every corner in town. I don’t think I ever set foot in one the entire time we lived there, but God was able to get my attention anyway.
One day, at lunchtime, Leroy picked me up from work and we headed toward our favorite restaurant to eat. As we passed one of the local businesses in town, I noticed a large banner strung across the front of the building over the main entrance. It read, “Jesus is Lord.” Now, for some reason, this bothered me. I remember saying to Leroy, “Why do people make such a big deal about Jesus? He was just the Son. God is the one they should be worshiping.” No one, as far as I could remember, had ever told me what the Bible says about Jesus. If I had heard the Gospel, it hadn’t sunk in. But a lot of people seemed to think pretty highly of Jesus and, after reading that sign, I wanted to know why!
My path to faith in Christ didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t until five years later that I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. But I will never forget that sign on the wall of a business in Roswell. Imagine what the business owner would think if I could go back and tell him or her how their sign started me on my spiritual journey.
We may never know how our little acts of faith are impacting someone around us. Diane Drake will never know for sure, this side of heaven, how her steadfast sharing of her faith impacted her friend. But God knows. And God orchestrates those opportunities every day of our lives. If we ignore those opportunities because we’re too busy, or too intimidated, or convinced our efforts won’t make a difference, then people like me and Diane’s friend will never see the banner on the wall or the book given as a gift. One little act of faith on our part can make an eternal difference in someone else’s life. Let’s act while we can!
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account of the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15).
Before I became a Christian 18 years ago, my husband, Leroy, and I lived for a while in the small town of Roswell, NM. People used to say of this place that was 200 miles from anywhere, “It’s not the end of the world, but you can sure see it from there.” The residents were mostly farmers or oil ranchers, and they all seemed to be Baptists! There was a church on almost every corner in town. I don’t think I ever set foot in one the entire time we lived there, but God was able to get my attention anyway.
One day, at lunchtime, Leroy picked me up from work and we headed toward our favorite restaurant to eat. As we passed one of the local businesses in town, I noticed a large banner strung across the front of the building over the main entrance. It read, “Jesus is Lord.” Now, for some reason, this bothered me. I remember saying to Leroy, “Why do people make such a big deal about Jesus? He was just the Son. God is the one they should be worshiping.” No one, as far as I could remember, had ever told me what the Bible says about Jesus. If I had heard the Gospel, it hadn’t sunk in. But a lot of people seemed to think pretty highly of Jesus and, after reading that sign, I wanted to know why!
My path to faith in Christ didn’t happen overnight. It wasn’t until five years later that I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. But I will never forget that sign on the wall of a business in Roswell. Imagine what the business owner would think if I could go back and tell him or her how their sign started me on my spiritual journey.
We may never know how our little acts of faith are impacting someone around us. Diane Drake will never know for sure, this side of heaven, how her steadfast sharing of her faith impacted her friend. But God knows. And God orchestrates those opportunities every day of our lives. If we ignore those opportunities because we’re too busy, or too intimidated, or convinced our efforts won’t make a difference, then people like me and Diane’s friend will never see the banner on the wall or the book given as a gift. One little act of faith on our part can make an eternal difference in someone else’s life. Let’s act while we can!
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account of the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15).
