Paul and Barnabas were called by God to take the gospel to the Gentiles.  They had every reason to believe that they would be successful on their journey, but they were often met with opposition and misunderstanding.  Acts 14:19-20 makes this clear, “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.  But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.”

     We often define success and failure by our results.  We sometimes think opposition or struggle is a sign that we are moving in the wrong direction, but God had not called Paul and Barnabas to be universally successful.  He had called them to be faithful. 

     We pray for family, friends, and many people in our communities to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and it is easy to be discouraged when we don’t see results.  But we can’t rely on the measure of our success.  God asks us to be faithful in all that we say and do, and God will continue to work on the hearts and minds of people.  “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

Prayer: Dear Lord, you called us to be faithful.  When we get discouraged, strengthen our faith and remind us to always rely on you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.