encouragement Archives – Sonshine's Journal

Barnabas, the man who impacted my life. God graciously places people into our lives for many reasons but the most memorable are those who come to us and leave with words of encouragement lasting upon our hearts. Barnabas was such a person. Born in Cyprus and living in Jerusalem, he so touched each life he crossed that he was given the nickname “son of encouragement.” Oh would that be our nickname instead of complainer, thankless or some other.

The dictionary defines encouragement as that which inspires courage or confidence. The early church faced many obstacles such as the distractions of the widow’s needs, the raging anger of Saul of Tarsus, the stoning of Stephen, and more. In spite of all this Barnabas was steady, always ready with a word to give courage to faltering hearts. He so loved the new foundling church that he sold his land and gave the proceeds for the church’s needs. And now in chapter 11 we find that the apostles sent him on a journey to check out the Cypriot believers in Antioch. He was fully prepared with language skills, familial ties, he knew the mannerisms and the ways of these brethren of his so he was the perfect choice. But, there is better reason: Barnabas “was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith,” Stop and think about that for a moment. To be full of the Holy Spirit means that he was demonstrating the Fruit of the Holy Spirit: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” [Gal 5] In addition his faith was his foundation and he lived and walked by this: “The righteous by faith will live.” [Rom 1] “You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works.”[James 2].

It was because of Barnabas living out his faith through the Holy Spirit that many came to know the Lord. Who is the Barnabas in your life? Take time today to let them know, for the Barnabas’ of this world are usually the unassuming quiet behind the scenes people. And how about yourself, could you be a Barnabas to someone today?

We all have written letters that later we regretted but in hindsight we are glad we aired our concerns. Today we use email and sometimes it is misread, misunderstood but it is there for the world to see if we are not careful. Paul had written a mighty letter to the church in Corinth about an offender and the Corinthians did not receive it with grace. His second letter which we are studying is a reflection on how Paul viewed their response and how he wisely used an intermediary (Titus) to settle the issue. It teaches us some important principles of letters and they can be used to cross that breach…that letter we wrote and then wish we had not but then in hindsight are glad we did. It is important to note that Paul’s honesty has brought true repentance to the church and more importantly to the offender who was living blatantly in sin, thus tarnishing the image of Christ and the church.

As Paul waited he continued to work in Macedonia even amidst slander, as well as some praise. Some regarded him as an imposter and on and on. It is part of the territory for a believer that one will face extraordinary circumstances for sharing the Word of the Lord, but like Paul, we are not to sit idly but be active. As Paul wandered about, preaching and teaching, his mind was on Corinth and the believers there. He wondered how Titus was faring with the believers after his letter (1Cor) had been sent. Titus arrived with glowing news! The Corinthians still loved Paul and had repented regarding how they had handled the offender noted in 1Cor who was bringing shame upon the church. Paul as euphoric at the news Titus brought.

There are some principles from chapter 7 that we can take to heart:

God uses other believers to encourage us when we are anxious or depressed or downtrodden. It can come through a visit or a written letter.
The second part of this principle is that as believers we can reciprocate with words of encouragement in return to the one for whom we were anxious. Prov 25:25 “Like cold water to a weary person, so is good news from a distant land.”
And the third part of this principle is that in doing so we are demonstrating love from one to another and exhibiting Christ-like grace. Notice how Paul affirms the Corinthians at the end of this chapter: 7:16 “I rejoice because in everything I am fully confident in you.”

God took time to write a letter of His love to each of us which are His Words of affirmation and encouragement. His message was “I love you.” Paul’s letter back to the Corinthians was the same message. “I love you!”

Are you waiting for an answer from a note you have sent? Has God brought a person to mind that needs affirming because of circumstances which have brought anxiety? Take a moment and pick up pen and paper and send a note! Let them know about God’s love and your love for them.

Tag: encouragement

Are you a Barnabas?

Letters: I wish I had not sent but I am glad I sent….2Cor 7