“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1–2
I once heard about a court case that was lost because of the silence of an attorney. The distinguished lawyer Samuel Hoar (1778-1856) was representing the defendant. When it was time to present his case, he told the jurors that the facts favoring his client were so evident that he would not insult their intelligence by arguing them. The jury retired to deliberate and returned in a few minutes with a verdict of guilty. Samuel Hoar was astonished!
“How,” he asked, “could you have reached such a verdict?” The foreman replied, “we all agreed that if anything could be said for a case, you would say it. But since you didn’t present any evidence, we decided to rule against you.” Silence had lost the case.
How often do we lose an opportunity to witness for Christ because we remain silent? Those who need to hear the Gospel may conclude that salvation is not important enough to talk about!
God commands us to be the light of the world in Matthew 5:14, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” That means we are to be a witness, showing Christ’s light of salvation through our lives. We are not to be silent or hide our light but to show all.
Imagine if the eastern star the wise men were tracking suddenly got a mind of its own and decided it wasn’t going to shine. It was tired of always shining. Also, people were constantly looking at it and scrutinizing its size and brightness. It wanted to be a normal star and just blend in, so it stopped shining.
What would the wise men have followed to find Christ? The star was their only hope of finding God’s Son! They were lost without it. Because the star failed to shine, the wise men never found the Messiah.
Thank the Lord that didn’t happen! But that’s exactly how we are sometimes. We shine bright as a witness for God but when scrutiny comes or someone questions us, we shrink back and decide to blend in.
Have you dimmed your light? Have you sought to blend in to avoid controversy or discussion? Don’t be afraid to witness to someone. You may not know all the right verses or the fundamental doctrines, but you can witness. The most powerful witness you have is your testimony. Tell someone how Christ changed your life. Personally show them how He has helped you. Shine brightly and let your witness be heard today! ( Daily in the Word)
Don’t allow the darkness around you to dim your light for Christ!
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church.
Humble,Tx
