The Lord blessed with His great abundance and joy yesterday, the
first day of Summer. The summer season has made great debut
with blazing sun and heat in the southeastern states of
America the beautiful. The temperature reached 120 F in
Arizona, Nevada, etc. The temperature here in the Northeast reached
into the eighties, but it was cool and comfortable, buffeted with
gentle breezes. It was great day to be alive and to enjoy the
beauty and blessings of the day. I took some time to drive in the
country where the cows "on a thousand hills" were out in the pastures
and fields, grazing unafraid and unhurried. I visited a
man who was deployed in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. He said he
has traveled to 82 countries, including India. He loves Indian
food, the hotter the better. He and his family lived in North Dakota for
several years. He moved his family back to the area where he was
born and raised. He and his wife, along with their two sons, live on a
farm where they raise sheep. He shared that He is grateful
to Jesus for life, for the land, for this great nation, for the church, and for
his family.
Alice and I worked in the garden
in the cool of the afternoon. We then took a long walk in the
evening. We were visiting with some of her former students, one of whom
is finishing her nursing degree from
Hartwick College, Alice's alma mater. Another student is
working on a computer sciences degree from RIT where he will be
finishing in three years of
study. A third is doing his engineering studies at Alfred
State. We had face time with our granddaughter Lindy (in the Philadelphia
area). She is growing so quickly, and is very interactive
and talkative. We also had some face time with Gabe,
Addie, and Asha (in Washington, DC). They are all excited to come to
Grandma and Grandpa's house in a few days.
We are getting ready for Alice's reception
and party. It will held on
Saturday, July 1, 2017. We will start
gathering at 4:00 PM,
and the Buffet dinner will be served at 5:00 PM. The
venue for this gathering is the Marathon Civic Center, located at the
corner of Brink Street. You do not need any reservation - just
show up. This an "Indian Thing"; You are part of the
family. Family members do not need an invitation. You all just show
up. The Lord will make you joyful. There is plenty of
room, plenty of foods, and lots of love and grace.
The Word of the Lord is poignant, powerful,
life-giving and always relevant to our life situations in all seasons and in
all predicaments. It is written, “Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who
are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by
God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NKJV)
Five times in these two verses Paul uses the word "comfort."
Paul tells us that God comforts us, not simply to relieve our distress
but also so that we may be able to comfort others. This means we are all
called to encourage one another. I think of what the Paul says in 1
Thessalonians: " Therefore comfort (encourage) each other (one another)
and “edify (build up) one another up…" 1 Thess. 5: 11 (NKJV)
Bruce Larson, in his book, "Wind and Fire", points out some interesting facts about sand-hill cranes: "These large birds, who fly great distances across continents in a "V" formation like geese, have three remarkable qualities. First, they rotate leadership. No one bird stays out in front all the time. Second, they choose leaders who can handle turbulence. And third, all during the time one bird is leading, the rest are honking their affirmation." This is not a bad model for the church: we all should be honking encouragement to each other.
The writer of Hebrews links mutual encouragement to worship attendance: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb 10:25) There were many encouragers in the New Testament Church. However, one character stands out. He helped and encouraged people so much he was given a new name by the apostles; that name was Barnabas, which means "Son of Encouragement."
The early Jerusalem church had many poor people. Some of the poor were widows. Some were working men who could not secure or hold employment after confessing Christ. Others were pilgrims from other nations who were converted on Pentecost and stayed there for fellowship and teaching. Local believers had to help these poor. Barnabas responded by selling property, probably on his native island of Cyprus, and bringing the proceeds to the apostles to be used for the poor (Acts 4:37). He not only talked encouragement but he also did concrete encouraging acts. Barnabas played a vital role in welcoming and encouraging Paul, who had been a "rebel with a cause". Once the "hound of heaven" captured Paul's heart, the Lord propelled him into His kingdom with a new cause and a new vision. Because Paul had so recently persecuted them, Christians were suspicious of him. Even the disciples were leery. The situation was touchy. Paul was rejected by all and accepted by none.
It was Barnabas who cleared the way. “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.” Acts 9:27(NKJV) Barnabas was so successful in promoting Paul that Paul "stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem" (Acts 9:28). Not only did Barnabas reach out to Paul, but we also see this in how Barnabas was among the first to accept the new Gentile believers.
When I look into the life of Barnabas I realize just how far I have to go as an encourager. Each of us would like to be remembered as the sons and daughters of encouragement. Ignatius, one of the early church fathers, once wrote of the church that was in Rome, “It was a church worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of congratulation, worthy of success, worthy in purity, preeminent in love, walking in the law of Christ and bearing the Father’s name.” May Jesus the Lord of the church ferment each one of us as part of His Church to be that Church in the world today.
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