Getting In Stride With God

Since last September, I’ve been getting together with several others each Saturday at local parks. Most of us walk, but some have strapped on their Rollerblades, while others take the opportunity to bring their dogs. I enjoy getting outside, breathing that fresh crisp morning air, and getting my blood flowing. I also enjoy getting to know the others that gather each week.

Have you ever gone for a walk with someone and immediately you’re out paced? You struggle to keep up, your body begins to scream in pain and you gasp for more oxygen? I’ve been there...in fact, I’m still there, at least with my group on Saturdays. Since the first time we met, I’ve been the one to ‘bring up the rear.’ I’m not in great shape and know it. I’ve struggled to keep pace with the others. But with a sweaty brow and painfully weak leg muscles, I do my best. As I said, I really enjoy getting to know the others that gather with me to walk, but there are moments when my need for oxygen, far outweighs my desire to converse. Thankfully I’m with a group of people that give me much grace and understanding. They’ve kept my pace at times, instead of the pace (that’s much faster) they would likely prefer.

But what about with your ‘walk’ with God? Do you find yourself struggling to keep pace with God? It’s difficult to get into stride with God. We tend to find He’s out paced us before we can take three steps. He has a different ways of doing things, and a different way of seeing things. It’s only through spending time with Him, during our prayer and devotional time, that we can be ‘trained and disciplined’ into His stride. It’s through our ever-deepening relationship with Christ that we begin to take on His characteristics. And it’s then that we fine ourselves getting that ‘second wind.’ It’s then that, the we begin to manifest His characteristics in our lives. Our character, values, desires, hope, dreams, will and agendas are lost sight of and are tailored into His character, values, desires, hope, dreams, will and agendas. It’s within this personal union with God that we can achieve the ability to keep in stride with Him so that the power of God alone can be manifested in our everyday lives.

Are your ‘spiritual legs’ screaming in pain because you’re trying to keep up with God but can’t seem to? Instead of thinking of the time you spend praying or do your devotions as a ‘have to’ thing; think of it as a time to exercise your ‘spiritual legs.’ Start out with 5 or 15 minute ‘walks’ with God. As you are faithful with that, increase it to 20-40 minute ‘walks’. Eventually, you’ll find that you’re not even keeping track of the time your ’walking’ with Him - you’re getting into stride with God. That’s when you’ve hit that ‘second wind’ and He’s the one being manifested through you.

Let Me Encourage You

Throughout the Bible there are examples of Encouragers – people who came ‘along side’ others to lift them up. That’s what encouragement means, to come along side, literally "to put courage in". We all love to be around encouragers. One man in particular in the New Testament is not well known, but one of the greatest examples of an Encourager. His parents named him Joseph. But the Joseph had such powerful influence on the leaders of the New Testament Church that they renamed him Barnabas – ‘Son of Encouragement’. In short, he was a man who believed in the potential of people – particularly those whom others were cautious or suspicious of.

So how do we become an Encourager – a Barnabite? Allow me to suggest a couple of things:

1. Affirm the potential in others.

"Because of you the LORD became angry with me also and said, ‘‘You shall not enter it, either. But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it" Deuteronomy 1:37,38

Moses had been telling the Israelite community that because of their stubbornness and rebellion and faithlessness that none of the older generation would enter the Promised Land. He told them that they would all die in the desert and even he wouldn’t make it into the Promised Land. However young Joshua was to be a different story. The Israelites were to recognize the hand of the Lord on Joshua, to affirm the Lord’s call or mantle on Joshua. They were to put courage into him to lead them into the Promised Land by speaking into him words of courage and strength and support. Joshua would be energized by the words that people spoke to him - affirming the capabilities they saw that God had given to him. That is a task that "Barnabites" fulfill. Extraordinary things are achieved by ordinary people who are supported by extraordinary people who have spoken affirming words of courage and inspiration into them. Believing what people can become brings about a greater rippling effect that none of us could even begin to imagine.

2. Allow people to grow.

A Barnabas encourager expects people to grow and mature and even exceed their own mentors as God continues to work on them. The relationship that Barnabas had with Paul the Apostle is a perfect illustration. Paul struggled initially for acceptance with the other Christian leaders who where suspicious of him due to his past. It was Barnabas who saw Paul’s potential, took a risk, and was willing to give him a go. It was then that Barnabas mentored Paul and worked with God to equip Paul for the call that God had on his life. Then the Holy Spirit called and consecrated both Barnabas and Paul to an intenerate ministry as missionaries.
Within the culture of the day, the leader of the team was always listed first, i.e. ‘Barnabas and Paul’. Barnabas was the leader and Paul was the apprentice. Yet, later in the book of Acts we read about ‘Paul and Barnabas’ rather than ‘Barnabas and Paul’. At some point in their ministry together - Paul assumed the more prominent leadership role. The implication is that Barnabas willingly exchanged being the mentor or coach to Paul and instead became his number two. The leader allowed the prodigy to grow and mature and even then assume the more prominent leadership role.

The Church will never have a shortage of people who want to be its Pauls (leaders), but who will be its Barnabas (encouragers)? Who will come along side and pour courage into its Pauls so that they can become all that God has called them to be? Let me Encourage you – Be a Barnabas to someone. Allow God to use you to be an encourager in someone’s life!