Tim watched in awe as his friend’s eleven-year-old son Joshua practised cricket, bowling leg spin, googlies and top-spinners. Tim himself was a cricketer and knew talent when he saw it. He predicted that Joshua would play for his country one day.
Fourteen years later, after nearly quitting his profession due to injury, Josh stepped out on the pitch for his debut England cricket match. “He had all these injuries, but I never gave up on him,” Tim said, with pride.
We all need people to believe in us, especially when we can’t clearly see our God-given gifts or experience. When Saul, a persecutor of Christians, was converted, the Jerusalem disciples “were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple” (Acts 9:26). Barnabas, however, having heard how Saul had “preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus” in Damascus (v. 27), decided to take a chance on him and “brought him to the apostles” (v. 27). As a result, Saul, later called Paul, spoke “boldly in the name of the Lord” in Jerusalem ( v. 28)—and, of course, would go on to pen most of the New Testament.
Barnabas wasn’t the only one to believe in Saul; God had already done that (Acts 9:15). May we be encouraged that God believes in us so much that He prepares good works for us ahead of time (Ephesians 2:10) and cheers us on.
By Tanya Marlow
REFLECT & PRAY
What difference does it make to think of God believing in you as Barnabas believed in Saul? Which new Christians could you encourage?
Dear God, thank You for choosing unlikely people and seeing our potential. Thank You for calling me, even when I don’t believe in myself.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The believers in Jesus in Jerusalem didn’t trust Saul (also called Paul) and questioned whether his conversion was genuine. But what was the reaction of his former colleagues who’d worked with him to persecute the Christians? Acts 9:29 mentions Paul’s interaction with the “Hellenistic Jews” who “tried to kill him.” While a number of the Hellenists believed in Christ (6:1–7), many more didn’t. Hellenistic Jews were prominent in the group that conspired in Stephen’s martyrdom (6:8–7:59 ). It’s ironic that Paul was a key player among those who killed Stephen (7:58), and now that same group wanted to kill him. (This targeting of Paul may have helped assure the Jewish Christians that Paul’s conversion was real.) Those who’d killed Stephen thought they’d eliminated a problem. They hadn’t considered that one of their own would step up to take Stephen’s place.
Tim Gustafson
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