March 12 "Tell Someone" Read: 1 Timothy 1

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

I Timothy 1: 12-17

Billy Graham once said, “I am not a great preacher. I don’t claim to be a great preacher. I’ve heard great preaching many times and wished I was one of those great preachers. I’m an ordinary preacher just communicating the Gospel in the best way I know how.” If you think about it we all, as Christians, are some kind of preacher. Of course we don’t all end up behind a pulpit or preach to tens of thousands of people like Billy Graham.

All Christians have opportunities every day to reach a lost person. Sometimes we witness through our testimony like the example Paul gives us. He tells us what he was: a blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious. He admits he had been an unbeliever. He tells us that he was the chief of sinners, but obtained mercy. Then he tells us what we have to look forward to – life eternal. Sometimes we witness through the life we live.

This is what I try to do with my little girl, Kaitlin. God showed me something in a unique way one day. I’m not trying to boast, but I really try to be the person God has willed for me to be. One day I had been reading my Bible before work. When I left the house I carelessly laid my Bible on an end table with the highlighter in it. When I returned from work that evening I walked in the house and my wife, Angie, was in the kitchen washing dishes and around the corner, out of her sight, Kaitlin had my Bible and was using it for a coloring book…with the highlighter! I heard myself gasp and rushed over to save my Bible. I picked it up and thought to myself, “Well, it wouldn’t have happened if I’d put it on the shelf where it belongs.”

Immediately, God spoke to my heart and said, “If it had been on the shelf Kaitlin wouldn’t have seen you reading it!” I’m far from perfect, but God saved me through His love and grace and I hope I can encourage someone through what God has done in my life. Brother Jimmy said, “You can witness to someone all day and say a cuss word and all that day’s witnessing is wasted.” We are God’s people, and I encourage you, today, to tell somebody what God has done for you and live the life in front of them. I still use – and carry – my now graffiti-covered Bible. And my hope is that someday in the future, maybe fifty or sixty years from now, Kaitlin will look through it and see where she marked in it…but also see that I marked in it more than she did. I pray that I will, every day, be what God would have me be.

Brother Kevin Winebarger

CMBC Facebook Devotion Writer