CAC LIVING WATER DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR APRIL 5, 2022 : TOPIC – BE AN ENCOURAGER
Read previous CAC Living Water Devotionals here
CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH
THE LIVING WATER {Jan. ~ June, 2022}
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
TOPIC: BE AN ENCOURAGER
Read Acts 4:33-37
MEMORISE: Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
EXPOSITION
The Scripture in Galatians 6:2 says, ‘Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ’. The word, “bear” comes from the Greek word which means, “To carry, to take up, or to take away or carry off.” The word “burden” comes from a Greek word which means “a weight.” When you put these two words together, “bear” and “burden,” it means to take away or carry off the weight someone else is experiencing. Basically, it means to bring relief and comfort to someone else’s life when faced with adversities.
Barnabas is adjudged the “Son of Encouragement.” He lived to the meaning of his name by what he did outstandingly, by alleviating the sufferings of the early church saints who were in dire financial needs in Jerusalem then. This is practical Christianity. If a Christian brother or sister is weighed down or menaced by some burden or threat — financial, mental, bodily health, marital crisis, joblessness or the loss of a loved one, be alert to that, and quickly do something to help. No gossip please! Do not let them be crushed or destroyed under the weight of such difficulties.
Yes, bearing one another’s burdens can be difficult and clumsy, for it takes deep courage, faith, and trust to offer timely help. However, since burdens are not limited to financial help alone, even when it is, the load can be made lighter when we know Who to trust (God), and He alone we give the other person’s burden to, so the encourager (you) is not crushed under it. To put all burdens into earnest prayers before God is to trust Him for an outcome that we cannot control. This shows that we trust the Lord who loves us more than we do, and we are readily available as encouragers (unreserved helpers), just like Barnabas did, believing God to command someone else to bear our burdens too.
PRAYER POINTS
1. O Lord, use me as a timely encourager to those in distress.
2. I rebuke and chase you spirits of selfishness, greed and self-centredness out of my life, in Jesus’ name.
3. Pray for CAC Hanson Region, our father in the Lord, the Superintendent, and its officers at the various levels, as led by the Spirit of God.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: 2 Samuel 3 – 6
Author: C.A.C WORLDWIDE
Remain blessed!