I’m sure that all of us have certain people who come to mind when the name “Barnabas” is mentioned. Those are the unique amongst us. They seem to smile and uplift those around them no matter what the circumstances. It is those good Christians who bless us because God has blessed them with the “Encouragement Gene.”
Of course, no one is perfect, even in the art of encouragement. Satan is expert at discouragement and works much harder to break the spirits of our modern day “Sons of Encouragement” (that is what the name Barnabas means). Without them we all suffer.
As much as we’d like to believe it could be so, not every day is going to be a sunshiny-church-picnic kind of day. Realistically, as a Christian we expect the hardships that come with that name. And because Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble (John 16:33), we take him at his word and prepare for it.
However, the sufferings and troubles of this world need not cause us to stumble. Though Satan endeavours to break our stride, we need not let him. But if you think that you can do it alone, you’re kidding yourself. We need help.
This is why we need to stay close to our Encouragers. Being around them reminds us that we are moving forward in the Gospel of peace, and that we can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).
I pray that you and I are becoming “Sons and Daughters of Encouragement.”
“…We have been speaking in Christ and before God. You are our dear friends, and everything we do is to make you stronger” (2 Corinthians 12:19NCV).
John Staiger
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