Come Look (Friday Devotional)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

- Acts 1:8

“Come look!”

You might exclaim those words after reaching the summit of a long hike and gazing out at the view before you. You might say it once you’ve reached the conclusion of a long project and you’re ready to show off your work. You might just say it to a friend after you watch a funny cat video on YouTube.

Whatever the reason, the reaction is the same. When we’re amazed or proud or excited—when something has managed to truly capture our imagination—we want to show other people. Enthusiasm isn’t something you keep to yourself.

So it’s natural that Jesus tells us that we are his witnesses in the world—that it’s our responsibility to tell others what we’ve seen and heard. It’s not meant to be a dry obligation or a nerve-racking assignment, but the ordinary response to being saved by the grace of God in Christ. We don’t tell people about Jesus because we have to, but because we want to!

Somewhere you may have gotten it into your mind that sharing the gospel is a job strictly for professionals. But the truth is that the most effective evangelists are often brand-new believers—not because they know the most, but because their excitement about Jesus is so fresh. What can become old hat to old believers is still novel to them—and so they want to tell everybody!

Who’s the last person you talked with about Jesus outside the walls of a church building? When’s the last time you invited a neighbor to church? Are you being obedient in your evangelism?

Don’t be scared or ashamed of your answers. And don’t think you need a master plan to evangelize. Just try two words, and pair them with the excitement you had the first time you met the Lord: “come look!”