The Power of Witness

Read Romans 1:8-17

Jesus said, "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd."
-John 10:16 (NRSV)

I was sitting at my office computer when my colleague arrived for work. She took her usual seat next to me but hardly spoke in the next few hours. I wondered what caused her unusual silence. When I asked her how she was, she poured out what had been bottled up inside. She told me about the way someone had hurt her and how depressed she felt. I knew from her facial expression that she was deeply troubled. My co-worker's life seemed empty to me, and day by day I saw her looking to fill that emptiness with worldly pleasures. Our surroundings and circumstances prevented me from reaching out and giving her a hug. All I could do at that time was listen; yet I kept thinking, If she had Jesus in her life, things would be different.

I felt helpless at that moment in the office, but when I went home that evening I knew what God expected of me. God wanted me to pray for my co-worker and to be a friend to her when she needed me. God wanted me to show her Christ's love, something many of us find difficult to do. I want my life to reflect God's presence in every area to everyone around me - in order to bring the lost to Christ, who came to save each of us.

by Jennifer Rebecca Anandanayagam (Western Province, Sri Lanka)