Daily Devotion for March 9th

Proclaiming Good News
Read 1 John 1:1-4
We write this to make our joy complete.
-1 John 1:4 (NIV)
HAVE you had an experience so good that you couldn't wait to tell someone else about it? Maybe you told your friends about a book or a movie that you wanted them to read or see. Perhaps you gave them a new recipe you thought they ought to try. When we encounter good things, we want to share what we've found - it's just human nature.
The people in the Bible were like us. John had walked with Jesus, heard him teach, and witnessed his miracles. John had seen the face of God every day as he looked at Jesus. He was overflowing with the joy of his experience. His world had been changed, and he had to proclaim the good news.
One test of our discipleship is whether we care enough to tell others about the new life we've found in Christ. When we do, the effect spreads like ripples in a pond. In the telling, our own joy isn't diminished; it is doubled and tripled. That's how the good news works.
Richard L. Mabry (Texas, USA)

Dear God, you give us opportunities and the desire to tell others about our faith. Help us to recognize each occasion to proclaim the good news and not to turn away. Use us as your witnesses to Jesus Christ. Amen.
Thought for the Day
Every word we speak for Christ has the power to bring new life.