Advent Devotional - Day 9: by Rebecca Oeltjenbruns

READING: John 1: 6-8
“There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.”
John 1:6-7

A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about a crime or dramatic event through their senses (e.g., seeing, hearing, smelling, touching), and can help certify important considerations to the crime or event. John was the "someone" who acted as witness for Jesus as savior. John had firsthand knowledge from God that the Messiah was coming!

In this advent season, how is it that we can be a witness for Christ? What is the firsthand knowledge that we can call upon to certify that we know Jesus is Messiah? It is our firsthand knowledge that makes us compelling witnesses:
· What do we see each day that is evidence that Jesus is the Light of the world (the beauty of the world around us, the miracle of a birth)?
· What do we hear that is evidence of God's Son come to earth to redeem our sins (the sound of birds on a spring morning, of waves on the ocean)?
· What do we smell or touch that is evidence of our freedom in Him (the top of a baby's head, the soft fur of a kitten's tail)?

Dear God, help me be like John, a compelling witness to the light of the world, your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.