In the heart of every believer is a deep longing to be an instrument of God’s love and power. It’s not about greatness in the world. It’s gratitude for what the Lord has done. “Jesus gave so much to me,” a friend told me, “I want my life to mean something for Him.”
How do you do it? Barnabas shows us the way. Barnabas was a “good man.” In Acts 4:36-37 he sold his field and gave the money to the church, so the apostles called him the “son of encouragement.”
There’s an expression “good for nothing.” Barnabas was the opposite. He was the friend at your side. If you needed help, you’d call for Barnabas. Encouragement? Barnabas would lift your thoughts.
Barnabas was full of faith. Some people have “happy talk.” Barnabas had faith talk. If you were having a dark moment, Barnabas would lift your eyes to the Lord. “Believe in God’s Word,” he’d say, “trust in God’s love.”
Barnabas was also full of the Holy Spirit. He lived with a power beyond his own. He let the Spirit of God illuminate his inner life and motivate his outward actions. He would have agreed whole heartedly with his friend Paul, with whom he traveled, that we can “do all things through Christ" who strengthens us.
That’s being a real significance in the lives of others, and there’s nothing else quite like it. It’s a simple pattern to follow. In faith, you take one step. You ask the Spirit of God to help you do something good for someone else, something important for God. Another step follows the first. Keep it up and you’ll be walking in God’s way, following His lead.
Lord, give me enough faith and wisdom today to take one good step and tomorrow another. Amen.
Go Deeper ― Call to mind the four or five people closest to you today. Ask God how you could be Barnabas to one of them.
Photo Credit: Nick Tong