You will likely recognize the name of Jackie Robinson as the first
African-American to play Major League baseball. In his first season with the
Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson faced hatred nearly everywhere he traveled. Pitchers
threw fastballs at his head. Runners spiked him on the bases, ugly insults were
written on cards and spoken from the opposing dugouts. Even the home crowds in
Brooklyn saw him as an object of reproach.
During one game in Cincinnati, the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a
peak. To make matters worse, Robinson committed an error and stood at second
base humiliated while the fans hurled insults at him. Another Dodger, a Southern
white man by the name Pee Wee Reese, called timeout. He walked from his position
at shortstop toward Robinson at second base, and with the crowds looking on, he
put his arm around Robinson's shoulder. The fans grew quiet. Robinson later said
that arm around his shoulder saved his career.
That reminds me of a similar story in the Bible. Saul was a most unlikely
candidate for Christianity. I doubt if he was on anybody's soul-winning list.
Except God's. The reason is that you would have been locked up or killed before
you got through the first Bible study. The words Saul and persecution were
synonymous. So, Saul had a bit of a problem when he became a Christian.
Everybody was afraid to get close to him. The members of the Jerusalem church
thought that Paul was pulling a fast one, that he was only pretending to be a
disciple (verse 26).
After all, that was a perfect plan -- pretend to become a member of the church,
get the names of all of the members, call the Sanhedrin and then take the whole
bunch to prison. Sounds like a spy story, doesn't it? But, they weren't about to
fall for that one! But Barnabas accepted him.
There are a couple of things about Barnabas that we need to imitate. First of
all, he was a man who insisted on believing the best in others. When others
suspected Saul of being a spy, Barnabas insisted on believing he was genuine and
real. The world is largely divided into people who think the best of others and
people who think the worst of others. "[Love] doesn't keep track of
wrongs....never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping,
never gives up." (I Corinthians 13:5,7, GOD'S WORD).
Barnabas was also a person who didn't hold a man's past against him. It happens
so often that whenever a man makes a mistake, he is forever condemned in our
eyes. It is a wonderful characteristic of God that he doesn't hold our past sins
against us. We, too, should never condemn a man just because he has failed in
the past.
What a great example! We've all been there -- standing in need of someone to
face our problems with us. And we have those around us who need the encouraging
arm around the shoulder.
"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you
are doing." (Galatians 6:1-2)
Alan Smith
alansmith.servant@gmail.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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