Sunday, August 04, 2019

Aug 4, 2019 … Tell Me Your Story

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 216 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Big Daddy Weave singing … My Story … powerfully singing of how our story, as disciples of Christ, is a story of love and freedom and victory because, “… to tell you my story is to tell of Him.”

"Ask the man who owns one!"

==============
Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 66:16 [NLT] … 16  Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He did for me.
 … A Psalmist’s testimony about his God in song.
==============
Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 66:8-20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK
… The Psalmist sings of the glory of God in his life.
==============

Reference Passage : … Matthew 28:19-20 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK
… Jesus’ “Great Commission” to all Christians to share their testimony with others and allow them to know Christ as we know Him.

Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NLT] 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 
… Jesus, ascending back to the Father, commands all Christians become His witnesses with the power of the Holy Spirit to give testimony of His love, mercy, and grace.

Reference Passage : … Acts, Chapter 22 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK
… The Apostle Paul gives testimony to the Romans about his conversion and the truth of his Roman citizenship.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, used a reference to an early Packard auto logo to illustrate the power of a testimony to convey value. … The ODB author wrote: In the early 1900s, the Packard Motor Car Company generated a slogan to entice buyers. “Ask the man who owns one” became a powerful tagline [see photo], one that contributed to the company’s reputation as manufacturing the dominant luxury vehicle in that era. What Packard seemed to understand is that personal testimony is compelling to the hearer: a friend’s satisfaction with a product is a powerful endorsement. 
Sharing with others our personal experiences of God’s goodness to us also makes an impact. 

How often, when we’re trying to buy something of value or of great interest to our lives, do we solicit the testimony of others who’ve owned or used our item of interest to help us determine whether we’ll invest in that item, … in this case the early models of the Packard automobile [see photo]?

It’s a wise person who seeks testimonials from other purchasers to determine opinions of the worth of a vehicle or some other important item. And that’s the case when we’re sharing how Jesus has changed our lives. It has been said that others can argue about the Bible or use personal opinion to argue about “God” or “Jesus.” However, no one can argue with a testimony! And that’s why you see Jesus, Himself, commanding His disciples to become His witnesses in this world … to others who need to get to know Our Lord as Savior and Lord (see Acts 1:8).

It’s why Paul used his testimony before a Roman commander [see Acts 22] to openly share what Jesus did for him and how his Roman citizenship must be honored before Roman courts. There is great power in the true testimony of a believer willing to share the truth about how Christ changes lives forever. But are we willing to be His witnesses in the world as our Lord commanded us to be?

I pray so!

=============
My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … showing us the power of our testimony.
=============

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to use our testimony to share You with others who need You as Lord and Savior. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

No comments: