TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:39 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• As a writer who has done many articles on people and businesses in my community, I learned this truth long-ago —everyone has a story. And as believers, we also have a testimony. It’s our faith-story of how we came to Christ.
I wish we talked about this sort of thing more. We take it for granted that we all believe so we don’t ask for the details of how we got here… we don’t often tell others about that special moment when we took a leap of faith and accepted Jesus into our hearts.
But your testimony is crucial. Luke 8:26-39 tells the story of how Jesus healed a demon-possessed man. After the man begged to go with Jesus, verse 39 says, “‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”
We don’t think of that verse as a commandment, but I think we should. We may not have experienced healing from a demon in the literal way of this man, but we are all sinners. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are a sinner saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) and we all need to “declare how much God has done for” us.
That’s a part of our calling to be a part of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). It’s the foundation of how we do that! And think about it—it’s not just OUR testimonies. We have been directly influenced by the testimonies of Disciples who met Jesus in person and who are generations removed from our lifetime!
As it says in 1 John 1:1-2, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us…” Their testimony has impacted countless lives for Jesus and we are more blessed because we are among those Jesus spoke of when He said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29b).
Though we can’t give a testimony as direct observers, we still have a story to tell. We can still tell others what Jesus has done for us, starting with the way He died for us.
If you’re interested in knowing my testimony, it’s on my website (www.MyGraceFullLife.com). I invite you to read it and please feel free to share your own. I’d love to hear it!
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for giving us a story worth telling! Thank you that His story is for everyone! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be bold in your testimony so that you too can go out and tell others what Jesus has done for you!
SHARING ••• Please feel free to comment or share this blog with others. Also, download a free Bible-In-A-Year Reading Plan when you subscribe to www.MyGraceFullLife.com! ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
