“They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request, ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we would like to see Jesus’” (John 12:21, NIV).

I went to visit a friend yesterday because he had lost his son to a drug overdose. He shared with me how he had come to know Christ. He had moved here from his country when he was 18 and had become successful. He married, had children and joined a local Baptist church, but he was not a follower of Christ. He cared very much for a son who had severe mental health issues. In his neighborhood lived another man, a Christian man with a severely disabled son who had to be carried wherever he went. My friend noted the loving care this man gave his son every time the son and he were together. One day that man greeted my friend at his front door and asked, “What can I do for you?” My friend answered, “I want you to witness to me.”

“I want you to witness to me.”

No one has ever said that to me. It would be nice if such comments came my way all the time, though hearing them would likely ruin my witness with undeserved pride.

The point is not whether I hear such requests, but whether I live in such a way to produce such requests.

This request came from a suffering man who observed two fellow sufferers—a suffering boy and a suffering father who loved him.

The request came from an open heart observing a life of sacrificial service—a Christian man caring with love for a severely disabled son.

So, the question for me is, “Am I willing to welcome suffering into my life if it might manifest itself in sacrificial service, such that my neighbor might come and ask, ‘Will you witness to me?’”

Jesus did.

Dear Father,
Let me take what this world brings and, through the power of your Spirit, serve sacrificially so others might see Jesus in me and ask to meet Him.
Amen