God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
I'm being struck, time and time again at the moment, by the necessity for our role as witnesses. John took his role seriously, he was a full time evangelist telling people about the need to repent and follow God.
It's not feasible that every Christian gives up work and spends all their days out on the streets witnessing. It is feasible that every Christian has a living testimony of what God is doing in their lives and that they talk about it every day.
I was challenged a couple of years ago by a talk I heard. A comment about people who recall what God did in their lives many years ago. Our testimony needs to be current. We need to be aware of what God is doing day to day. Not only the big miracles but the small ways that God touches our lives. The peace He gives in a difficult situation, the speed with which events occur, the friends He places around us, the joy that sings in our hearts despite a sorrow that invades.
Big miracles have their place. They are awesome to recount. If we are to be witnesses for God to ordinary people, to point them to a loving Father, we need to be able to tell them about our everyday lives and the affect He has on them. Sometimes we don't need to verbally tell them. Sometimes our friends know a difficult situation we are going through but they see a strength in us which amazes them. When they ask, we need to be ready with the answer that God is our strength. We must never be ashamed to be a witness for all that God is doing!
