The Light Will Speak For Itself – February 15, 2020

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The Light Will Speak For Itself

Benjamin Franklin was one of the most persuasive men of his time. Through a combination of carefully chosen words, good humor, and common sense, Franklin enjoyed great success when it came to winning people over to his point of view.

There was an episode, however, when Benjamin Franklin set his eloquence aside. His home city of Philadelphia did not have streetlamps. Franklin thought it should. But its residents were satisfied with dark streets. Franklin could have unleashed the power of his pen and worked to convince his fellow residents of the many benefits of streetlamps. Instead, he took a different approach. He simply set up a streetlamp outside of his own house. After sunset, the lamp’s light attracted the curiosity of his neighbors. Gradually, the word spread about how wonderful it was to walk near Mr. Franklin’s house at night without fear of stumbling in the dark. Soon the people of Philadelphia were persuaded. Streetlamps for the entire city quickly followed.

There are times when we have a habit of worrying ourselves into silence when it comes to telling someone about Jesus. We convince ourselves that we can convert someone to Christ through our own wisdom and winsome words.

But we can’t. Instead, we have something far better. We have the light of God’s Word. We have God’s promise that his Holy Spirit will work through the words we share about Jesus. By his power, not ours, souls will be persuaded of their need for a Savior from sin and that Jesus is that Savior. So, let the light of God’s Word shine in your life and watch as he uses it to save souls.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, as I tell others about their Savior, help me to trust in you and the power of your Word rather than in myself and my words. Amen.