Acts 9:26-27 — And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

I have two Barnabas’s in my life. One has been with me for quite a long time — I’ll talk about that later. I’ve known the other for quite a while, but he’s definitely been more active for the last year or so, and sadly this year he’ll be moving away from the area where Myra and I live. That realization is what has really prompted today’s devotion.
Barnabas — “son of encouragement” or “son of consolation” — was one of a circle of friends that developed around Paul after his experience on the road to Damascus.
Barnabas was the one who vouched for Paul. He was his faithful companion, despite their brief falling out over John-Mark’s reliability. He was trusted to transport the churches funds. Everybody needs somebody like Barnabas in their lives!
My other Barnabas? My wonderful wife Myra, of course! From time to time when I think of Myra I think of the way the angel Uriel describes Eve in Haydn’s oratorio, “The Creation”:

With fondness leans upon his breast the partner for him form’d, a woman fair and graceful spouse.

“The partner for him form’d” — there is no better description of the way my lovely Myra supports me. She encourages me and supports me, lifts me up when I am down, pushes me when I hang back … But there is something special about my other Barnabas. You see, he’s a “volunteer”. He doesn’t have the obligations of marriage to make him my sponsor, supporter and encourager. In fact, though we’ve never talked about it, I believe he looks out for people to encourage — to push in the right direction, to build up, to cheer on …
The role of Barnabas is a biblical one. Could you be a Barnabas? Not everyone is cut out for the job. Actually, it’s underpinned by a Spiritual gift — the gift of encouragement (or exhortation). Paul names the gift in Romans 12:8. In fact the word He uses really calls it the gift of “coming alongside” — which is a perfect description of what Barnabas did for Paul! There are some ways to tell if it’s the job for you. Here’s some clues:
— Do you feel the Holy Spirit promoting you to reach out to people?
— Do people seek you out for advice and guidance?
— Are you delighted when you see someone you have taken an interest in flourish?
— Are you patient with people?
— Would you rather guide someone directly than pass them on to someone else?
Or maybe you need a Barnabas in your life? How can you tell? Easy. If you’re breathing, and you haven’t got one, you need one. If it was good enough for Paul, it’s good enough for you!