Faithful Witnesses

 Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     First Thessalonians 1:7-8 says, “So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.  For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.”

     These email devotions go out to about 44 addresses on email and t hen goes out on Facebook and Mewe and my blog.  I have gone through some of  the addresses that were on there before as some of them are dead.  I kept those addresses where the one person was dead but the address is still used by family members.  For some, there was no family to keep using the address.  Others, of you, have been a great blessing to me as comments come back on how the devotions are being used in some of your lives.  Others may have other reasons in their lives that prohibits them from saying something now and then or the address may no longer be valid.   Those that do respond occasionally are certainly welcomed and become blessings to me and encouragement that someone is out there, so to speak.

     The Apostle Paul didn’t have email in his day but what he had was the testimonies of the various churches that the Lord had founded through his ministry.  Paul was encouraged to find out that the testimony of those in Macedonia and Achaia was spreading to the point that Paul and his evangelistic team did not have to say any thing.  That was a blessing to Paul and it is also to anyone who is sounding forth the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the lost wherever they might be.  We can find the lost on Main Street, USA, or on Maple Avenue or Switzerland, or Mali. Well, you can find the lost anywhere and as the Lord has said, the field is white unto harvest but the laborers are few.  None of us will know this side of heaven, how many have been influenced by our words from the Lord to them.  I have had several this past week who have sent blessings about how God is working in their lives.  I used to pray that God would get me out of this place until I realized that this is where God wants me to be as a witness and an encourager to those in my daily path.  Some  are old and feeble and can’t remember what they had for breakfast, but the hymns are still in their memory bank and they are encouraged to sing them.  Others are simply lost and many are on the verge of death as five have passed away in my hallway alone.  The same is true for each and everyone of you.  Your mission field, if you want to call it taht, is right  next door or down the block or across the street.  It will be great that someone will say someday, “Oh, I heard the gospel from a friend who heard it from another friend who heard it from you.  Praise God for the blessings of faithful witnesses.