Let's Give Others A "Push"

The story is told of a teenager who often walked through a park where mothers were sitting on benches and talking. Their small toddlers were sitting on park swings wanting someone to push them. The teenager gave them a push and said to the mothers, “Do you know what happens when you push a kid on a swing? Pretty soon he’s pumping and doing it himself. That’s what my role in life is — I’m there to give others a push.”

Encouraging others along life’s way is indeed a worthy purpose. In the book of Acts, we read of a godly man named Joses who did exactly that. In the days of the first century church, he sold some land and gave the money to the church to use for the less fortunate (Acts 4:36-37). He also traveled with Paul on missionary journeys and preached the gospel (Acts 11:22-26; Acts 13:1-4).

We may know Joses as “Barnabas,” which is the name the apostles gave to the “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). When the Jerusalem church heard that people in Antioch were obedient to the Lord, they sent Barnabas because “he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24). He “encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord” (Acts 11:23).

In today’s vernacular, he encouraged these new Christians to keep on remaining loyal to the Lord. This was very important in view of the fact that Antioch was a pagan city.

Beloved, like Barnabas, let’s give other Christians a “push” of encouragement in their walk with the Lord.

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets