FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “B|Encouragers”

Supplies: Bible

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Summer vacation’s here!!  Ten weeks of freedom from classes and tests.  You don’t have to do any homework, but you also don’t get to see most of your friends each day.  Which of your friends will you miss the most while you’re bumming on the couch this summer?  Go around and share why.

Now…who will you not miss this summer?  In addition to “no more classes and no more books,” whose “dirty looks” are you glad to be free from for a bit?

READ

Last week we read how Saul became Paul.  Read about how this new disciple is received by the others in Acts 9:26-30 and 11:19-26.

THINK

Paul had an amazing encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, but he also had a horrible reputation after years of hating and hunting Christ-followers.  The original disciples were used to being terrified by this guy, so they weren’t eager to welcome him into their group.  How could they know he really changed?  Maybe this was all an act.  Maybe he’d change his mind in a week and arrest them all.  Maybe he’d destroy the whole church—all that they’d done to share Jesus with the Jews!

Enter Barnabas.  This was a guy the disciples knew.  He was a part of their church-building team, helping them share Jesus’ story with others.  So when he stepped in and spoke up for Paul, the disciples listened.  Barnabas shared about the ways Paul had changed and how he’d already made a difference for Jesus.  Barnabas backed up his words by choosing Paul to help him on one of his missionary journeys.  If you know much about Paul, it’s kind of weird to think of him as the “assistant missionary.”  After all, he wrote half of the New Testament and became the godfather of church planting.  And yet, it was the encouragement of Barnabas that helped give Paul the footing he needed to truly change the world—change history for Christ. 

APPLY

What would you do if that “dirty looker” showed up at church on Sunday?  It may seem hard to welcome that particular person into your K.I.D.S. class or into youth group.  Even if you watched them pray and ask Jesus to be their Savior, you may still hold on to all of the bad memories from how they treated you before.  But just like Barnabas, you can help someone become the person Jesus is making in them through encouragement.  When we treat people like who they want to be, instead of who they used to be, we act like Jesus.  When we give them the benefit of the doubt, when we pat them on the back for little changes, we help build that holy heart inside of them.  Who can you encourage even today?

PRAY

Dear God, help me to be an encourager.  Help me to look past the ways people used to be and see who you are making them.  In Jesus’ Name we pray.  Amen

REPLY

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