Encouragement: The Fuel of HopeSampl

The Power of Encouragement

Encouragement is a powerful thing, which is why it is such a feature of God’s word and His way.

Many things work together in Christ Jesus and there are many facets of our walk with Christ. We understand the need for faith, hope, love, joy, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, repentance, and so on. But in our walk with Christ, it is the power of encouragement that helps to keep us moving forward, even when we feel we cannot go on.

You will have noted there is a strong connection between encouragement and hope. Hope is the thing that envisions a better future. Hope pays no regard to the problems of “here and now,” but instead it focuses on “what will be” rather than “what is.”

Encouragement underpins hope. Encouragement is the fuel that drives us forward in hope.

Hope can be something that is personal and in our own minds only. We may have our own hopes and our own dreams. But encouragement is a shared force. The power of encouragement comes from others to us, lifting us and giving us strength to keep fighting the good fight of the faith. Encouragement is also the strength that we give to others to urge them on to achieve their hopes and dreams. And in Christ it is the power we give to help the weak to stand and to continue the battle in the face of great odds.

In the first session of this Bible plan I spoke about the Swiss marathon runner, Gabriela Andersen-Schiess. In the 1984 Olympics she did not win the marathon. She did not even place in the top three, or top ten or even the top thirty runners. She came in at 37th place, which you would expect to be an utterly forgettable performance.

But the sheer guts and determination she showed to simply complete the race, rejecting any help in the final lap of the stadium, suffering heat exhaustion and dehydration, was completely astounding. And it was the encouragement of the crowd who stood as one, cheering her every step as she wobbled and staggered to the finish line that got her through.

The encouragement of those who were there made the difference between finishing the race or giving up, and it will do the same for you in Christ Jesus.

Call to action:

It is the encouragement of those around us, and the encouragement we give to them that will cause us to finish the race to be with Christ in His kingdom. So, with every word you speak to others, aim to lift, build up, and encourage them so we all cross the finish line together.

I hope you found this Bible plan uplifting and helpful. If you want more, you can find my other Bible plans by searching for “freegiftfromgod.com” in the YouVersion app. Or you can find more encouragement in my free eBook titled ”Changing You” on the freegiftfromgod.com website.