Weekly Devotional - Becoming Witnesses Through Love

July 21st, 2026

Becoming Witnesses Through Love

Day 1: The Power of Witness

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

- Acts 1:8 NLT

Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him,

- Luke 8:1 NLT

Jesus didn't call us to be silent spectators but empowered witnesses. The Greek word "martus" means someone who experienced something and lives to tell about it. You have a story of what God has done in your life—that's your testimony. Consider how you came to faith: someone told someone who told someone who eventually told you. Now it's your turn to continue that chain. Being a witness isn't about being perfect or having all the answers; it's about sharing what you've experienced of God's goodness.

Today, reflect on your spiritual journey and thank God for those who witnessed to you.

Day 2: Love Covers Everything

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

- Romans 12:9-13 NLT

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

- Matthew 9:35-36 NLT

Jesus looked at the crowds with compassion, seeing them as sheep without a shepherd. This is the heart of witnessing—not condemnation, but love. You cannot condemn people into heaven, but you can love them there. Before sharing words about Jesus, people need to see Jesus in how you love them. The UCLA study revealed that the first threshold people cross toward faith is trusting a Christian. Can you be that trustworthy person? Love isn't agreeing with everything someone does; it's seeing them as God sees them—precious and worth pursuing.

Ask God to give you His compassion for those who don't yet know Him.

Day 3: The Ministry of Hospitality

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man[a] came to seek and save those who are lost.

- Luke 19:1-10 NLT

The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’

- Luke 7:34 NLT

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!

- Hebrews 13:1-2 NLT

Jesus was constantly eating and drinking with people—especially sinners and outcasts. In His culture, sharing a meal meant sharing life, offering peace, trust, and forgiveness. Hospitality isn't about having the perfect home or expensive dishes; it's about opening your life to others. The Greek word "philoxenia" combines love (philo) with stranger (xenos)—loving the other.

Who can you invite to your table this week? Maybe it's coffee with a coworker, lunch with a neighbor, or a simple conversation with the delivery driver. Hospitality creates space for authentic relationships where Jesus can be revealed naturally through your life.

Day 4: Seeking the Lost

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

- Luke 15:1-7 NLT

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

- 1 Peter 4:8-10 NLT

The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost. Notice: He came to seek them, not wait for them to find Him. We live in a post-Christian culture where many are suspicious of Christianity, but that shouldn't stop us from pursuing relationships. Jesus crossed cultural boundaries to reach Zacchaeus, a despised tax collector. What barriers do we create—political views, lifestyle choices, social status—that keep us from loving people where they are? Seeking the lost means being intentional, slowing down, noticing people, and building bridges.

Practice hospitality without grumbling, using your gifts to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace.

Day 5: Giving Jesus Away to Keep Him

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

- 1 Thessalonians 5:19 NLT

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

- Matthew 28:18-20 NLT

Frank Laubach wrote, "I must talk about God or I cannot keep Him in my mind. I must give Him away in order to have Him." This profound truth reveals that witnessing isn't just for others' benefit—it deepens our own faith. The more we share Jesus, the more we experience Him. When we quench the Spirit by remaining silent, we stop advancing God's kingdom in the world and in our own lives. Everyone is preaching some gospel—whether it's politics, diet trends, or personal philosophies. The question isn't whether to share, but what we're sharing.

Commit today to being intentional about witnessing through love and hospitality, not out of guilt, but from overflow of what God has done in you.

Weekly Challenge

This week, intentionally show the love of Jesus to one person outside your usual circle through a simple act of hospitality—a meal, coffee, a conversation, or practical kindness—and look for an opportunity to share a part of your story of what God has done in your life. Remember, witnessing begins with love.