Day 44 - Issue 38
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Acts 9.27 NLT
'Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.'
Friends are a precious gift and we all need them. Saul found himself in a delicate position when he visited Jerusalem for the first time after his conversion and he desperately needed a really good friend. His visit came a couple of years after his encounter with Christ on the Road to Damascus, and there is no doubt that many people in Jerusalem would have remembered what kind of man he used to be. They would have heard stories about his preaching ministry, but they were deeply suspicious. Maybe it was all an elaborate trap. Saul needed a good friend and he had one in Barnabas, who took it upon himself to introduce Saul to the apostles. Barnabas believed in Saul and was able to speak warmly of his powerful preaching ministry. This was a crucial moment and Barnabas, whose name meant son of encouragement, was just the friend that Saul needed.
We all face difficult times in life and those are the moments that reveal who our true friends are. The fair-weather friends rush for cover at such times. They are nowhere to be seen. However, true friends stand with us whatever the circumstances. I’m sure you, like me, can immediately think of people who have shown that kind of friendship. I will never forget my first really difficult situation as a minister. It was an agonising time and I felt awful. A letter arrived from a good friend in which he assured me that I had his complete support and he would stand by me whatever happened. And he was as good as his word. I thank God for him and so many others who have given me that wonderful gift of friendship and stood by me in the tough times as well as the good times. The most wonderful example of friendship in the Bible was between David and Jonathan. They lived with constant danger and appalling pressures but, right to the end, they were completely faithful to one another. Thank God for the amazing gift of friendship!
QUESTION: In what ways have friends been a blessing in your life?
PRAYER: Loving God, help me to be like Barnabas by being faithful and encouraging to my friends. Amen
Released on 13 Aug 2021
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