Encouragement is powerful. It’s incredible. It inspires, it motivates and it lifts people up. On the other hand, discouragement is just the opposite. It put people down, it hurt and injure them. And for some, it stop them in their tracks and keep them from moving forward.
In the book of Acts we are told of a man by the name of Barnabas. While there are many aspects of his life, it is specifically noted in Acts 4: 36 that he is called the “Son of Consolation.” However, Barnabas was certainly good at “lifting another’s spirit”.
Consequently we see the fruit of Barnabas’s positive and uplifting personality while preaching and teaching with the Apostle Paul and with John Mark. During their first missionary journey, discouragement entered the trio’s mission. First of all, he was the one who took Saul under his wing and encouraged him to keep preaching when the early church rejected him. Then John Mark decided to quit the trio and return to Jerusalem. However, in this case, Barnabas encouraged him also to keep spreading the gospel.
My friend, are you like Barnabas? Do you care enough to help others when they really need you? Every day you are blessed with many opportunities to come alongside those who are experiencing life’s toughest challenges. — It’s a thrilling thing to discover that you have the power to ignite someone’s life when they are feeling down and discouraged.
“Let us think of ways to motivate one another in acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10: 24-25