"When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts." Acts 11:23 NIV
Within a mile after starting Saturday's Run for the Ranch Marathon in Springfield, I knew the race was going to be tough. Having put in too many miles the previous weekend without ample recovery, my legs felt like lead. But you know what made all the difference between giving up and pressing on? The shouts of encouragement and hugs I received from the large number of friends I was blessed to see out on the course - friends that were even lined up near the finish line who cheered me on as I completed each of the eight loops required to complete the 26.2 mile race. I can't even count the times I heard, "Just keep going Melissa. You've got this!" Oh how thankful I am for the many encouragers in my life who spur me on when life gets hard.
And you know, every one of us needs a 'Barnabus' or two in our lives to give us hope, support and inspiration when we feel like giving up. You see 'Barnabus' was a man who greatly "encouraged" the believers at Antioch and, no doubt, his fellow brothers and sisters everywhere he went. In fact, 'Barnabas' was such an encourager that the Bible says he was born with the name Joseph but nicknamed 'Barnabas' which means "Son of Encouragement." What a great thing to be remembered for!
So knowing how much power words of encouragement have to inspire our fellow believers to "remain true to the Lord with all their hearts," let us seize every opportunity to cheer one another on. After all, we're all in this race together my friend... and it's our job to help each and every one of our brothers and sisters reach the finish line.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that each one of us will face problems, obstacles, hard times and hurdles in our spiritual race to the finish line. Help us all to be a 'Barnabas' in this world that we might encourage our fellow believers to remain true to You when they feel like giving up, always faithful to provide words of Truth, comfort and motivation. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
 |
| Love this group of encouragers. 💗💗 |
No comments:
Post a Comment