Sons of Encouragement

They nicknamed him "Barnabas." It wasn't his real name. The New Testament story found in Acts 4 says, “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.” The phrase “son of” was often used by the Hebrew and Aramaic culture as an indication of a man’s nature. In other words, they named him “Barnabas” because he was such a lid-lifter for others that it was just his nature, an overwhelming trait in his life. When Barnabas saw a need in the life of another person, being stirred by the need, he immediately began to strategize as to how he could help in that situation. So, he sold something of quality, an agricultural piece of property that he owned, nothing second-rate here…and he brought the hefty proceeds and laid it at the church leaders’ feet. The spirit of this man was superlative…it was exemplary…it was the nature of an encourager! George Burton Adams said, "There is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success." You and I are called to be one of those thousands! I've heard people say that stepping out and encouraging others is just not their personality. Well, it's not a personality issue. Rather, it's a spirit issue. We become a "son of encouragement" by allowing the Father-heart of God to influence our attitude and actions toward others. As you read this little encouragement, take time to ponder on those who could use your smile, your high-five, your "I believe in you, you're gonna make it" words... And, think creatively on how you can get that encouragement to them as soon as possible. I'll write more on this later...