Barnabas Briefs: Encouragement Along the Road

By Dr. James D. Bryant

Barnabas Briefs: Encouragement along the Road is an exercise in discovering and gaining encouragement in one’s life pilgrimage. It is through the author’s own experience, poetry, and meditations on scripture themes that such encouragement may be realized.

The title is taken from the name of the Apostle Paul’s early companion and encourager, Barnabas, who was responsible for Paul’s introduction to the early church leaders in Jerusalem.

The author’s hope is that this book will be a companion on the road of life’s encounters. May it further be a challenge for you to remember your own encouragers and result in you becoming one for others as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638146988

Book preview

That I May Know Him

In devotional times, have you discovered that often we come with an agenda that calls on the Lord to change the mind of the people around us? Should we not consider that it is our minds that first need His touch and a new goal for our prayers. I do not know of a higher nor more pleasing goal to the Lord than to make this reaching the central theme of our Christian practice every day. Consider how many other concerns and struggles would be eliminated, if only this were our priority order of business. Paul gives words in his letter to the Philippians that truly are an important key to our relationship with others and with things.

That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. (Philippians 3:10 KJV)

As I weighed in my mind his counsel and began to make it a personal pursuit of mind and heart, I composed these words as a song of personal commitment and daily application. I trust it may be so for those who lay hold on its truths for themselves.

Verse 1

When I struggle just to know Him, I hear, accept My mind.

Take on His form as servant, that I His work may find.

Let this He has live in me, take up His walk and way,

To others give the pref’rence, fulfill His joy each day.

Chorus

Oh, that I may know Him, His risen pow’r so true,

The fellowship of suff’ring, the kind of death He knew.

These I follow seeking, I press toward that place,

My prize of higher calling is the joy upon His face.

Verse 2

In the midst of my life’s fortune, of things I hold in store,

I find I am not happy, for this my heart is sore.

So, while looking for the answer, I read of Paul’s own mind,

Now things that I have gained here, I’ll lose so Christ I’ll find.

Verse 3

Now, my brothers, I’ve not made it, I am not perfect yet.

As Paul said, I’m still reaching, that I may that way get.

And while reaching for that calling, some things I’ll put behind,

Move on to that before me, thus claim Christ’s holy mind.

1984

Who Am I?

The searching questions of life often begin with the very basics. Who am I? is one that all have perhaps asked themselves at one time or another, with a variety of answers, dependent on the direction of our search. We are not who we were yesterday nor who we will be tomorrow, unless we are dead and thus unable to search at all. Growth is constant, and with it, change, hopefully for the better. Several thoughts winged their way to me as I dealt with the subject. A humorous sidelight was one! Do you remember the story told of the young adult who was amazed at how much knowledge his parents had gained during his teen years and then later was also amazed that he had turned into his parents? A lot of who we are depends upon our perspective.

Another thought then occurred to me that had to do with the mirror into which I look at each day’s beginning. When I see myself, I attempt to correct my appearance to be acceptable to all I meet that day. James writes something in his epistle that relates to this encounter with self.

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But who so looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1:10 KJV)

It occurs to me that if I use the mirror properly, I should consider the image of Jesus and prepare who I am by conforming to that which the mirror of truth reveals that He is. And as James records it, I am not to depart and immediately forget my conforming to His image all day.

The following poetic description I pray will aid you in your daily conforming as well.

Who am I? I’ve come to ask, I, who wear this older mask?

I once was young and thought to be, ever nimble, always free.

Free to think the thoughts I thought. Free to fly and not be caught.

Not be bound by other’s molds, only that which my mind holds.

But now I’ve come to older mind, older meaning now I find.

And the face I see before, in the mirror on the door,

Is my face, but something there tells my mind to take some care.

Another’s nature there I see, faintly peering back at me.

It’s not fully seen as yet, but I pray to full sight get,

For the face I do behold has a value more than gold.

He’s the One Who wants to be all the face that I shall see.

Called the Son of God come down, He comes in, and Light is found,

And the Light gives sight to see, in Him lies true liberty.

All of that I dreamed before when a youth and wanting more.

All in Him is truly mine, when in me His life I find.

Who am I? I ask again. I am His Who lives within.

May 26, 1984

Becoming Aware

Remember a time in your life when a major change faced you? You felt comfortable where you perhaps had been there long enough to settle down in a good routine that provided a good mixture of challenge and accomplishment. Then, with no particular stimulus, deep down inside, there began a stirring of your spirit that signaled a major change, and one that would require stepping out on faith into unknown territory. Difficult, but as you moved forward, you found God’s will and strength to make the necessary changes.

One thing I have noted is the most difficult part of the journey toward change is the first step one makes. We always want more light than we have right here, but until we step forward, the light pierces the darkness of the future no farther. Like the headlights of one’s car, only driving them forward will throw light on the dark road ahead. Then with every mile, the promised roadway will be revealed. For an example, consider Abraham’s call and journey recorded by the writer of Hebrews.

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should

after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither

he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country,

dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same

promise. (Hebrews 11:8–9 KJV)

Truly, we do not have to know all the way ahead, just the One Who does! Here is my own experience in moving my headlights forward. I pray it will help you realize your own progress.

I sat alone in meditation, stirred in heart, but knew not why,

Searched in vain for some clear answer, but no answer heard my cry.

As I troubled more the Spirit to give reason for my plight,

One small voice said, Are you willing, if it means a change of life?

Then my stirring changed directions, all my questions turned around,

Searching for some explanation that would keep me safe and sound.

Then again, I heard but silence answering back my weak debate,

Until my spirit, then in hunger for that Voice, cried, I can’t wait!

When I gave up my resistance, yielded to my spirit’s plea,

Then that Voice of higher Spirit spoke His words of peace to me.

"Now then, child, I’ll bring your stirring from the darkness to My Light,

And I’ll daily lead you forward in your journey from this night."

O, then, all that unknown stirring, calmed with Presence so sublime,

That I wondered in my thinking why I’d wasted so much time.

Then I still had not all answers of what changes were in store,

But I knew those journey changes, God had planned them all before.

May 12, 1984

Sharing My Journey

Play it safe was a common phrase thrown at me as a youngster on the ball field. I liked to play baseball, but my only limitations were in running, hitting, catching, and throwing. The common coaching advice was, Wait on the balls and walk, Don’t steal a base, Don’t call for a catch, and let the other fielder throw it. Do you get the picture of my perceived ability? Well, with this background, playing it safe tended to be a perfected art in my case. On reflection, I am truly glad that the Lord saw fit to gift me otherwise.

But playing it safe can be in conflict with the will and purpose of God, particularly when you have to wait until all the bases are loaded and the ball out of the park before you start playing the game. God has called in His first team, and we are it! Happily, I did not wait but forged ahead to share to the best of my knowledge where God was leading me to go and to be His encourager of others He has called to join the game with us. There is some very wise counsel found in King Solomon’s Proverbs as well as Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians.

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of a friend.

(Proverbs 21:17 KJV)

God… Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort

them which are in trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted

of God. (2 Corinthians 1:4 KJV)

I pray that this poetic offering may be of comfort and encouragement and perhaps sharpen your giftedness by our Lord.

When I came to realization where God wanted me to go,

In my heart some tension started, as I thought to let some know.

The thought came, "Play it safe now, just in case you may be wrong,

So you won’t be looking foolish if God’s working takes too long."

As I toyed with this idea deep within, the Spirit groaned,

Will you tell Me that you’re willing, but with others not have it known?

Convinced my course of action was of God and not of man,

In my home first, then to others, I gave witness of my stand.

Barely had I shared God’s leading, then His confirmation came.

I discovered that my sharing gave them strength, His will to claim.

Had I weakened and not spoken of the way God worked with me,

Then another might have faltered, in God’s path might fail to be.

I see now that my decision is not mine for me alone,

It belongs to all God’s people and confirms our journey on.

Now I see that time of witness has brought blessings without peer,

For I know that in my journey, I’m an army without fear.

May 12, 1984

Discovering God’s Will

Did you ever have the experience of traveling on a divided road that had no directional signs for many miles? You traveled for a long distance with a lingering doubt about your route until you happened to see a sign posted for the oncoming traffic, showing them where you had just been. It revealed to you the information that affirmed your sense of direction was correct after all.