Witness part 4
"I saw the whole thing!" That's a valuable commodity. Because seeing is believing. Look at this: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Key for today: Crucified with Christ. So we need to see the cross. We need to see that when Jesus took the Six Steps to the Throne (Crucified, Died, Buried, Quickened, Raised, Seated) He didn't just do it for us. He did it AS us. We are crucified WITH Him. His death was our death. And now His life is our life. He gave it to us. Because He wanted us to have it. Because He loves us. But the trap we seem to find ourselves in is one where instead of seeing and believing... we try to earn. We try to get. We can't quite believe that God would just give it (Himself, His Spirit, His life, His love) to us. So we try to get what we think we don't have. Because, let's face it, we need it. Human beings need love. It's that simple. Cars can't go without gas. Humans can't go without love. And that's why Jesus gave His life to us. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). Love is giving. Giving your life. Giving everything you have and everything you are. Jesus did it for us, we ought to (and are now able to) do it for each other. But you can't give what you don't have. You can't give when you're trying to get. So it's all about receiving and releasing. Knowing and believing. Experiencing Jesus's abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life of Love by letting HIM live His own life in us, and through us, and as us. I was crucified with Christ. I died. But now I live. Because HE lives in me! Now I can share what I have, because now I know that I have something worth sharing. Something worth giving away. Something that everybody else needs. Now that I've seen what Jesus has done for me--laying His life down... giving His life for me, and to me--now I can do the same thing. I can release what I've received. By filling myself to overflowing with what God has filled me up with, I can let it out naturally. And then it will get to the other people who need it. Naturally. I can be the branch of the Tree of Life. And what does the branch do? It bears the fruit. It makes the fruit available to those that are hungry. I can be a witness. I can share my experience. I can tell people what I've seen, and heard. I can tell people that there IS a more excellent way, and that His name is Jesus! I can share the love that I have, instead of chasing the things that I think I don't have. That's the key. That's the mindset shift. Not trying to get something, but giving what we've got. Not getting upset about what we think we're missing, but experiencing and enjoy what we've been given by giving it away. By sharing it. It's one thing to witness something. But then you have to take the next step and BE a witness. Get that message out there. Preach the gospel at all times... and if you have to, use your words. Let your actions speak louder than words as you SHOW people what you've seen... by loving them!