Why should encouragement matter to Christians?
Bill: The root of the word encourage is “courage.” If I am discouraged, I have lost courage. But Scripture tells us that we have the ability to infuse courage into another believer (Hebrews 10:25) by the grace of God, Word of God, and Spirit of God. That’s our role and responsibility as a community of believers. I was in a fire station recently, and one of the firemen was showing me his fire truck. (I felt like a 12-year-old kid! It was really cool.) He said, “We hook that big hose up to the hydrant, and the water comes out with unbelievable pressure. It infuses the truck with water, and that goes to the fire.” Similarly, believers have the capacity and responsibility to be connected to the hydrant of God’s grace and Word—to be pouring that out all the time on the discouraged people around us. First Thessalonians 5:14 tells us to encourage the fainthearted. That word fainthearted literally means “small-souled.” People come to a moment where their souls can’t handle it—circumstances are
