En-courage.
“When [Barnabus] came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.” Acts 11:23 NKJV
Barnabas was a brilliantly faithful servant and he is noted in so many of Paul’s letters and in Acts as being exceptional. He was a man who followed where the hand of God pointed and when it stood still, cupped – he would extend his own arm to help those beneath it; or give them what he held. But in this instance, it was written that as he found the Jews who were preaching around Israel in the early days of the Church, that he saw what they did, recognised it as God’s grace and then encouraged them to continue.
Now, encourage is a big word. And one that is often mis-interpreted. If someone needs encouragement, that doesn’t mean you go tell them what to do.
To truly encourage someone, you must talk to them, not at them. Encouragement is the art of building up someone’s spirit so they feel capable! The fact that the word ‘courage’ is found within it is no accident! You are passing on courage, or nourishing courage within them so they gain courage!
Often, we tell people to read their Bible everyday, or pray constantly, or to follow Christ – but how good are we at helping people find out that they have exactly what it takes to fulfil that lifestyle? How often do we tell someone their flaws, but not encourage them on what they can do?
How many people can you encourage today?
Barnabas was a brilliantly faithful servant and he is noted in so many of Paul’s letters and in Acts as being exceptional. He was a man who followed where the hand of God pointed and when it stood still, cupped – he would extend his own arm to help those beneath it; or give them what he held. But in this instance, it was written that as he found the Jews who were preaching around Israel in the early days of the Church, that he saw what they did, recognised it as God’s grace and then encouraged them to continue.
Now, encourage is a big word. And one that is often mis-interpreted. If someone needs encouragement, that doesn’t mean you go tell them what to do.
To truly encourage someone, you must talk to them, not at them. Encouragement is the art of building up someone’s spirit so they feel capable! The fact that the word ‘courage’ is found within it is no accident! You are passing on courage, or nourishing courage within them so they gain courage!
Often, we tell people to read their Bible everyday, or pray constantly, or to follow Christ – but how good are we at helping people find out that they have exactly what it takes to fulfil that lifestyle? How often do we tell someone their flaws, but not encourage them on what they can do?
How many people can you encourage today?
posted by Andrew at 10:35 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home