September 25, 2024 - Good Morning. It's Wednesday, September 25.
We continue today with our week-long series on dealing with disappointment. What fun, huh? Seriously, I hope these devotions are speaking to you. I know they're speaking to me.
Do you have a nickname? We began this series by focusing on Joseph of the Old Testament. But there's another Joseph that we meet in the New Testament. No, not the husband of Mary, but a Joseph that is actually never called Joseph. We call him Barnabas, a name that, in Aramaic, means "Son of Encouragement."
Perhaps Barnabas' greatest moment of encouragement was when he befriended and supported a new, and notorious, Christian convert named Saul. We know him better as Paul and, initially, he was feared and distrusted by the early Church - until Barnabas vouched for him. Without Paul, the New Testament, and the new Church, would have been very different. And without Barnabas, there would have been no Paul.
And then there was... disappointment. After being partners in a missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas "had a sharp disagreement and parted ways." One can only imagine the deep regret that Barnabas felt in that moment. But that division multiplied the missionary effort. Where there had been one team, now there was two - Barnabas and Mark, Paul and Silas.
We're reminded that, even in our moments of disappointment, God is faithfully working His purpose out. We're reminded of the words of Paul in Romans 8:28 -
"God works all things for good, for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose."
Meet you back here tomorrow,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
