Content to be at his side

When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. (Acts 11:22-24)

We don't know much about Barnabas, but we do know that he was a Jew, likely well-acquainted with the teachings of Jesus, perhaps he could have been among the seventy or so who followed him throughout his ministry. We do know that he strong in faith and lived an upright life. He was an encourager - exhorting the believers to continue to grow and remain true to their testimony of faith. If you study his life a little closer, you will see he partnered with the Apostle Paul and was instrumental in helping to establish the New Testament churches as Paul itinerated throughout the land. He was generous - selling his parcel of land and giving the proceeds to aid in meeting the needs of those early believers. One of the things I find interesting about his life is his way of bringing out the best in people - one of the hallmark signs of one who is an 'encourager'.

As the church grew and new members were added to the 'ranks' of believers, he was overjoyed with their acceptance of Jesus. He knew life was changing for them, placing them at risk of persecution and even death, as not all the new believers would be embraced by the Jewish people who rejected the Messiah. He might have stood up for those who could not stand up for themselves, but that was because he knew the power of God in his own life. Then one day, "While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." (Acts 13:2-3) As one called by the Lord, he was faithful to his mission. This is a great lesson we can learn from his life - be faithful to the position God places you within. He did not seek to be the Apostle Paul but was content to be at his side in ministry, supporting him in whatever way he could.

Sometimes more is accomplished by letting someone with differing gifts take the lead, while we simply support their calling. We each have our gifts, but there is great wisdom in knowing when our 'gift' is meant as a 'supportive gift'. If we all want to lead, there will never be anyone to help! Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we give is that of service - in whatever form that takes. It doesn't have to be 'public', for many of God's gifts are 'given' in ways that aren't 'public', such as spending time with the lonely, encouraging the downtrodden, or praying through the night for someone who is hurting or confused by what life has thrown their way. We fulfill God's mission when we assume the place he has prepared for us. We see the results of those 'gifts' best when we allow all our varying gifts to come together, each of us standing together in God's work. Just sayin!

I dunno...

Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. (Proverbs 12:25)

How are encouraging words best used? In what circumstances do they matter the most? Who is best to bring those encouraging words into our lives? Is it possible the words of encouragement you are hearing are not always genuine? If you are worrying about those words, you are likely weighed down, feeling like you don't 'deserve' those words. Words of encouragement aren't to be given out so freely that someone doesn't think them genuine, but when they are needed most, they should be spoken the loudest!

Encouragement might be to receive a boost that actually brings us back to life a bit, being bolstered by the words we hear, or to be spurred on in a certain direction. Regardless of the circumstances, there are times when we just need a bit of encouragement - either to continue on the course we are on, or to keep doing what we have been doing because it is 'working' to accomplish something we desire. Encouraging words can also help us get a little clarity in a matter - such as when someone brings words of encouragement that we are on the right track, or our way of thinking something through is spot-on.

If worry weighs us down, what does encouragement do? It removes the weight of doubt, fear, or insecurity. Doubt can stifle us, making us feel 'stuck' in the place we are - either in our thinking, or in our actions. Whenever we hear encouraging words, we are either 'unstuck' or we realize we are stuck because we are some place we shouldn't be right now. We all need to listen to God's voice - being the very best at bringing words of encouragement into our lives - but he also uses others to be his voice. If we doubt or feel insecure over certain steps we are taking, it might not be bad to consult a trusted friend. It is quite possible they will help us get a little 'unstuck' by the clarity we receive in their words.

It isn't as though they know better than us - it is that they can see things 'outside' of the muddle we are experiencing at the moment. That differing perspective can be instrumental in helping us see clearly what had been masked by all the doubt, fear, or insecurity we felt while 'going through' the circumstances at hand. God isn't going to leave us 'unsettled' and 'burdened' for long. He will send the right words of encouragement we need to hear - through is Word and by the confirmation of others he uses to speak into our lives. Just sayin!

More than a pat on the back

Ever have one of those moments when you just need to hear a word or two of encouragement - something that uplifts and helps you just keep on keeping on? Encouragement is something we all need more of – we just don’t get enough of it in our daily contacts. In fact, most of us struggle with discouragement on a regular basis. Encouragement is at the root of our "self-worth". It is what gives us a sense of dignity and respect - it changes how we see ourselves sometimes. As one of God’s kids, we have a sense of being “grounded” in his unconditional love, and that gives us a sense of encouragement even when our actions, personal character flaws, or lack of success in today's complicated tasks seem to be pulling us down.

That's exactly what Jesus did. He didn't make it easy for himself by avoiding people's troubles, but waded right in and helped out. "I took on the troubles of the troubled," is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it's written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we'll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!  (Romans 15:3-5 MSG)

A long time ago, I heard a preacher deliver a sermon that has stuck with me for all these years. The crux of the sermon was this: Your past and present need not continue into your future. Too many times we want to allow our present to be clouded by our past. Encouragement is simply hope - hope that not only CAN God do what needs to be done in your life, but he WILL do it - without failure! His love for us is unconditional and absolute – it will not change over time or be meted out in proportion to our behavior - thank goodness. It is steadfast even in the midst of our wavering - bless God. He loves us first and foremost! We don’t even have to show him we love him first in order to be a beneficiary of his great love – he loves us and draws us. I find that pretty doggone encouraging! God is there when we need him – even in the midst of the most difficult times. In fact, he uses those difficulties to draw us closer to his loving heart and to help our love for him grow deeper.

At times, we are facing tough circumstances – things we label as punishment in our lives - things we just don't 'get' why they are happening. As a child of God, we are not subject to punishment because of our negative behavior. In fact, we are given the opportunity for corrective action – being taught by the Holy Spirit and the truth revealed in the Word in order to correct the behavior and walk away from it in a freedom of spirit. God is using those circumstances to complete the work of perfecting us through ongoing opportunities for learning of his great love. Even in the times we need to seek him for his faithful and unwavering forgiveness, we can be encouraged - his forgiveness isn't 'conditional' based on our performance. He forgives the old and gives the new – we call this an exchanged nature. He forgets the past and focuses on the future – we call this a fresh start.

Regardless where you find yourself today – God’s forgiveness is extended to you. Your part is to see your need for forgiveness and to turn to God to receive it. His part is to extend his grace, embrace us in his tender arms, and then lead us into the path of his love. Be encouraged! God’s love is enough to make the sorrow and shame of the past and the present a thing we need not carry into our future! Embrace his love and enjoy his encouragement. Just sayin!

Delivering on the play

We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. 

(Romans 15:2 NLT)

I have to ask - when was the last time you actually can say you helped someone else do what was right, not just what was convenient or easiest? Sometimes it is the hardest thing to do to actually help someone do what is right - because it requires so much more than you might really know at the outset. There are times when doing the right thing is easy - but most of the time it requires a little more thought, effort, and even elbow-grease!

Some will think this means we just encourage one another to do what is right - like a cheerleader on the sidelines rooting for their team. If we are truthful, the game isn't won because of the one cheering on the sideline, although it may bolster the waning enthusiasm of those on the field. The game isn't even won because of the excellence of the coach on the sidelines, although his expertise may help to navigate a great strategy to further the progress of the players on the field.

The game is won by those "IN" the game! It can also be lost by those same individuals. The outcome might be changed a little by the excellent coach or the enthusiastic cheerleaders. It may even be the fans in the stands, hooping and hollering, that think they helped win the game. The ones on the field, in the game, those are the ones who know the specific and sometimes extreme effort it took to move the ball, or deliver on the play!

Looking at our passage again, we see a twofold instruction: Build up (using words of encouragement) and help (getting your hands dirty). It isn't as though my part of the job is to just give lip-service to this thing you are going through - it is that I am to give knee-service, hand-service, back-service, or whatever-is-needed service to help you actually walk this thing out on a daily basis! It is one thing to tell someone you will praying for them - it is another to walk with them through the journey! Just sayin!

You a little hesitant?

Hesitation - a delay due to uncertainty of mind or fear; a state of doubt.  How many times do we simply avoid doing something just because of our fear?  If you and I are honest, it may be more than most would think.  We avoid saying something when we feel impressed to do so, or don't act on what we know simply because we are reluctant to take that first step.  Hesitation is the cousin to procrastination.  While procrastination is the delayed action, hesitation is the uncertainty which sometimes is the cause of the delay. This hesitation can keep us from some pretty awesome stuff, though.  Especially as it deals with coming into the fullness of what God has planned for those who are bold enough (not overtaken by fear or doubt) to walk straight into his presence and spend some time getting to know him!

So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body. So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25 MSG)

After explaining how the Old Testament tabernacle and subsequent temple were just symbols of the old "system" of worship, we find the invitation to enter boldly into what Christ accomplished by his sacrificial death.  If we were to read the two chapters just prior to this one, we'd see Christ's death accomplished the end to the old and the beginning of the new.  What had been off-limits because of our inability to "clean up" our sin under the "old" was totally declared "full access" under the new because did the "clean up" of our sin with the shedding of his blood on our behalf.  If such a provision is made on our behalf, then why are we so hesitant to enter into the fullness of all God has designed for us?  It might be fear, or even unbelief, but regardless of the "reason" we give, none stands in the face of this truth:  We are declared righteous in Christ Jesus.  We are made righteous in Christ Jesus. We stand righteous in Christ Jesus.  We cannot diminish our righteousness because in Christ Jesus we are fully and totally righteous!

Many of us spend a great deal of time being presentable on the outside. Each morning, we spend countless minutes in front of the mirror, grooming, applying this or that, putting each hair into place.  We pick out the clothes with care, discarding some things which makes us look to heavy, frumpy, or just doesn't fit the mood of the day.  We turn this way and that, getting a view of ourselves in the mirror and applying any last minute touches.  So, why is it we spend so much time on the outward appearance and almost forget to spend any time in the Word, prayer, or just simple worship?  Maybe it is because we think what can be "seen" is what gives people the impression we have life together even when we are falling apart on the inside!  I'd like to challenge that idea, though, because I believe what is on the inside, receiving frequent care and tender touches from Jesus will eventually trump whatever is on the outside!

What we can count on is the faithfulness of God regardless of our behavior, although it may not be as consistent as it should be - he is consistent.  His love extends beyond our inconsistencies, but to really "come into" that love we have to push past our hesitation and enter into his presence.  The delay in action on our part is often just because of our misperceptions - we don't understand how much God has done on our behalf to ensure we have access to him and can boldly enter into his presence.  We get a little insight into how we accomplish this when we consider the verse:  Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. First, we have to know what has been promised and then stand on it unwavering.  Then we have to believe with all our ability that God does what he says.  This may be the hard one since we have learned to NOT trust because trust has been violated by some person in our lives. Truth is, God cannot lie - it is against his nature.  It is impossible for him to not fulfill his promises because that would be equivalent to him telling a lie.

Probably one of the most overlooked portions of this "boldness" to enter into God's presence is the encouragement of others to help us develop this comfort of entering into all God has for us.  If we really see what is being said here, we will recognize it is about the company we keep.  Those who can spur us on are invaluable to helping us enter into all God has for us - moving us beyond our hesitation and into a place of bold, bounding faith.  The challenge to us is in being "inventive" in our encouragement - through loving actions and sacrificial deeds.  We don't do these to gain access to God - we engage in demonstrating God's love so others will develop a boldness to enter into the fullness of his love themselves.  There is no room for hesitation in us experiencing God's love.  We are beckoned into his love, provided a means by which we might enter into his love, and then we are given encouragement of others to help us maintain our consistency in experiencing his love.  Isn't it about time we enter into what God has taken such great pains to prepare on our behalf?  Just askin!

Custom-made jewelry

I have one "custom-made" piece of jewelry - a pinky ring.  It is made up of some gold from various pieces I had, but the most precious part of the ring is the three diamonds channel set at an angle into this ring.  They are from my mom's wedding band.  After dad passed, mom knew I had a desire to have the ring made.  I had only one diamond to place there and was considering placing a couple of amethysts next to it, but she offered the diamonds.  The "value" of the ring went up right there!  It wasn't just the physical value of the ring, but the value the heirloom portion of this ring!  She gave me a "piece" of what dad and she shared - nearly thirty years of great love!  No amount of planning on my part would have produced the same ring!  I have worn this ring every day for twenty plus years.  It has worn an indentation into my pinky finger!  

The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry, and a wise friend’s timely reprimand is like a gold ring slipped on your finger.  (Proverbs 25:11-12 MSG)

What you may not know is the gold which went into making this ring was from my wedding band and engagement ring.  After my divorce, I didn't know what to do with the rings.  One day, it came to me to allow them to be "re-created" since God was deeply at work in my life "re-creating" me from the inside out.  In fact, it became important to me to have these rings made into something which spoke a message to my heart each time I looked at the ring.  

The "gift" of the three small diamonds made the ring perfect!  They remind me of the everlasting love of my parents - their support and commitment to me over the years served to bring me through many a bad spot - just like the love of my heavenly father.  Mom and dad never lost hope - even when I was wayward and wandering.  They prayed for my safety and were there to always welcome me back when I had strayed.  Their love for each other stood the test of many a trial - the memory of this love for each other and for me goes with me now each day in a very "physical" reminder - my little ring.

You see, as I look at this ring, it is not a wimpy band - it is solid.  God's message to me in those early years after my divorce is reflected in the solidness of this ring.  He always kept (and keeps) reminding me he would surround me with his "solidness".  His "rock-solid" foundation became ever more solid with each step I took toward the healing of my heart.  In turn, his "surrounding" grace has always been what leaves an "impression" on my life.  Just as the ring has produced an "impression" on my finger, his grace has left its mark in my heart!

It also has these three small diamonds - none bigger than the other.  They sit at an angle - crosswise.  I wear this ring on my left hand - one finger removed from my ring finger where the wedding band had been.  The three diamonds which are set deeply into the solidness of the gold speak to me of the tangent my small family took as a result of the divorce.  We had each other, none more important than the other, none more in need of God's grace and protection than the other.  In the midst of being a little removed from our original position as a family of four, we were surrounded by God's protection and his love.  

A simple ring, but it speaks volumes to me.  Our writer today reminds us of the "value" of the words of a friend - they are like a custom-made piece of jewelry slipped on our finger.  They are well-spoken in the right timing.  Just as the time came for the old rings to go and the new to be fashioned, so there are times in our lives when the old has to go and the new is beckoning to begin.  In these moments, the words of a friend are often the catalyst by which change begins.  

There is much which can be said about the value in listening to the words of encouragement from a friend, but our writer really reminds us of the reprimand of a friend.  Some of the greatest moments in my life have come when a friend has taken time to "set me straight" by giving me the right word at the right time.  Sure, the message might has "stung" a little at first, but it isn't until we peel the scab away from a sore that the scar really is free to heal and fade!  There are times we need to see the "ugliness" of our "scabbed lives" in order to create a desire to be free of the "scabs".  The first step in healing is in recognizing we are injured!

We all have things from our past and present which we might not know what to do with - things which resemble the "ugliness" of "scabs".  Sure, the injuries are covered - but not with the beauty of the newness God desires to bring forth.  In the aptly spoken words of a friend, the scar may be exposed.  In the continued encouragement of their continued "speaking into" our lives, the scar eventually fades and is only a subtle reminder of the injuries of times past.  Just sayin!