For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother - Philemon 1:7

Paul wrote these words to his friend, Philemon. Apparently, Philemon was a great encouragement to all his Christian friends. His kind, positive, faith-filled spirit was a source of refreshment to everyone who knew him. When others were around him, they were able to rest, recover, and collect their strength.

This world needs encouragers! Are you the kind of person who drains hope out of other people's hearts, or fills their hearts with hope? The Bible says love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (I Corinthians 13:7). Through the journey of life, there will be times when all of us grow weak in the race, or stumble and fall. It's at those times we need encouragers. We need someone to cheer us on, and to not let us lay there. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, Two are better than one...For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion....

David Jeremiah writes in The Power Of Encouragement, "How many people stop because so few say, 'Go'?"...and in another place, "When a person is down in the world, an ounce of help is better than a pound of preaching".
In The Disciple-Making Pastor, Bill Hull puts it this way, "People stop walking with God for many reasons. Fear, worry, and discouragement are indeed strong culprits. Many more Christians falter here than in 'raised fist rebellion'. All people are vulnerable to this triad. In such cases people need the supportive encouragement of other caring Christians".

I will never forget the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, when Kerri Strug landed an amazing second jump off the vault on a badly sprained ankle, which she had just injured on her first jump. She had to land the second jump in order to secure the gold medal for the U.S women's gymnastics team. When she landed it and the crowd erupted into an ovation, she collapsed onto the mat in pain and tears. But, she had done it. She had won the gold medal for the team. What I especially remember was her coach, Bela Karolyi, exhorting her before her second and final jump, yelling, "You CAN do it! You CAN do it!" And, when she had done it, he carried her onto the medal stand. This is what we all need - people in our lives cheering for us, saying, "You CAN do it!"

There is hardly anything more inspiring than people who believe in you and are optimistic about your future, even when you're struggling to be. Someone said, "Encouragement is the kind of expression that helps someone want to be a better Christian, even when life is rough". God says, A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17).

Is there someone you can encourage today? Why not make it your goal to be a loving encourager to everyone of your friends? Your friends need you to be such a person.