The word for this week is "magnify". We find it in these three verses:
Psalm 34:3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. KJV
Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. KJV
Acts 10:46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. KJV
In Psalm 34 we have the Hebrew word "gadal". Strong's Concordance says: to be or make large (as in body, mind, estate or honor). Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon adds: to grow, to become great or important, to promote, to make powerful, to praise, to magnify, to do great things. In Luke and Acts we have the Greek word "megaluno". Strong's Concordance says: to make or declare great, extol. Thayer's Greek Lexicon adds: to deem or declare great, to esteem highly, to laud, to celebrate.
I remember when we were first born again how much pressure was put on us to 'evangelize'! We were asked often in meetings how many people we had 'led to the Lord' this week (month, year). There were always methods discussed for how to do this. Over the years I have found that the greatest witness we can have is the evidence of how much we love JESUS and how much we realize that we are loved! Giving Him the credit, the praise, the worship for every good thing that happens develops such an attitude within us of gratitude that shows in our countenance and comes up in conversations we may have. People will wonder how we can be positive and at peace when things seem tough and troubling. This is what is spoken of in 1 Peter 3:15:
15 But give reverent honor in your hearts to the Anointed One and treat him as the holy Master of your lives. And if anyone asks about the hope living within you, always be ready to explain your faith 16 with gentleness and respect. TPT
When we magnify the Lord in our own hearts we can't help but express it in our words and actions. I believe that this is what draws people to us. When people come to you for help and for answers, it will be because they see in you something that they need and wish that they had themselves. That's when we can be doers of 1 Peter 3:15! There is so much love, joy and fun in the the posts that you and Kristine share on Instagram and Facebook! People are watching and those that are hurting have hope rising! THAT is being a true witness for JESUS! Here is another new song from Hillsong UNITED's new album called "Might Sound Wild":
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
