Barnabas

Last summer, our pastor was in the middle of a sermon series on Acts. At the end of one of his sermons he briefly mentioned Barnabas. He said Barnabas was always showing up to give encouragement. It was literally three sentences, but I couldn’t escape Barnabas, “the encourager”. I felt like God was saying, “you need to be a Barnabas.”

My life is nothing short of a hot mess most days! I have my own personal battles and craziness I'm trying to manage. I thought to myself, “how am I supposed to encourage someone else? I’m barely surviving my own life some days!” A few weeks later Pastor Justin’s sermon was entirely on Barnabas! It was appropriately titled Leading from Behind.

He shared that Barnabas never wrote a book or a Gospel and was often in the backstage of Paul and John Mark’s ministry, but always there mining the gold out of other people. Acts 11:22-24. How often are we blinded to the gold in ourselves? We allow doubt, low self-esteem, or lies we, or others, have told us take over. But what if we’re only one Barnabas away from changing the world? What if we’re called to be the Barnabas in our world? In our families, communities and workplaces.

My first thought was, “Yep, I need a Barnabas in my life God. Feel free to send them my way ASAP!” but sometimes we’re called to be what we need. If you need a friend, be a friend. If you need encouragement, be an encourager.

This past year I’ve started walking out this truth, and guess what, in encouraging others God’s encouraged me. I’m finding it truly is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).

I encourage you to take your eyes off yourself, and your circumstances, and look up and out. Who in your life can you instill that very thing you’re longing and looking for into? I truly believe there is release in this action, and God will bless you.

Romans 15:5 "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had."

Proverbs 11:27 Anyone can find the dirt in someone. Be the one that finds the gold.

“You are a piece of the puzzle of someone else’s life. You may never know where you fit, but others will fill the holes in their lives with pieces of you.” ~Bonnie Arbon