(This isn’t me, but it’s from around the same era!)
Father, as a potentially significant weather system approaches, I would specifically ask for Your watchcare over law enforcement and emergency personnel as they will likely find themselves in harm’s way over the next several hours. Amen.
Acts 4:36-37 (<<click here to read the passage)
Nicknames. I know that they can be used in a detrimental way but many times they are just fun! I remember when I was small, I had an inflatable punching bag. It was generally the shape of a big bowling pin. You could punch it and because of the weight in the bottom of it, it would set itself aright so you could punch it again!
The one I had had Yogi Bear on the front and his sidekick, Boo Boo, on the back. We spent many of our holidays with my mom’s side of the family, and during that time my nickname became Boo Boo!
Nicknames can be things people associate with us and other times we get those monikers because of characteristic traits. In today’s passage, Barnabas was one of those nicknames. He was a Levite from the island country of Cypress. His given name was Joseph, but because of the way he lived and acted, the disciples called him, Barnabas – which means Son of Encouragement. What a name! Interestingly enough, he ends up becoming an integral person in the early church and you never hear him called Joseph again. From that time on, he is referred to as Barnabas!
Encouragement is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we find in Romans 12:8. And this Spirit-filled man greatly impacts God’s Kingdom by living out his gift. If it wasn’t for the respect that Barnabas had garnered, who knows what would have happened to the man who would become known as the Apostle Paul?
Paul – formerly, Saul of Tarsus – was a great persecutor of the Way, those who followed Jesus. But Jesus got ahold of him and Paul became His frontman to the Gentiles. When he arrived in Jerusalem, those of the Way were understandably reluctant to welcome him with open arms! But Barnabas stepped forward, got to know him, and understood that Jesus had got ahold of him…and the rest is history.
The thing I want to point out is the fact that most of us wouldn’t put encouragement at the top of the list as one of the most important and impacting gifts that we could get from the Holy Spirit…that is until you think about it. We all like people who can bring the best out in ourselves and others. Who doesn’t like to be around an encourager? To be sure it is not a person spouting empty flattery, but it is someone who can see the good in others, the potential in others, and is very capable at fanning the flames to the point that their gifts grow and blossom having their own impact of God’s Kingdom.
Pray for encouragers. We are all the better for them and should encourage them to keep up the good work!
Feb 2nd, 2022, Wed, 8:20 pm
