What is this forgotten art of “Encouragement?”
Most definitions of “encourage” and “encouragement” stress that to encourage is to inspire with courage, hope, or resolution. Some older versions use the definition “to hearten,” which literally means “to put heart back into someone.”
In scripture, encouragement carries the emphasis of: urging forward, persuading, counseling with, and stimulating others in their deepening walk with the Lord. As we encourage, our goal is always to point people back to the Lord.
That is why scripture admonishes us:
* “Therefore, encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
*“Preach the word, be prepared in season and out of season, correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2).
*“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13).
*“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb 10:25).
The Bible reveals our heavenly Father as an encourager:
*“You hear, oh Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry” (Psalm 10:17).
*May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus” (Rom. 15:5).
*God has designated encouragement as one of the spiritual gifts in the Body of Christ. Alongside the more (supposedly) “prominent” gifts such as prophesying, teaching, and governing, there appears the spiritual gift of encouragement (Romans 12:8).
Novelist Charles Dickens reminds us (through one of his literary characters) that, “no one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of anyone else.”
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Words, however, do hurt. But thank God that encouraging words also heal, help, and give heart.
Who does the Lord want you to encourage today? Don’t delay.
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