It is always a blessing to be around a person who has the gift of encouragement.    Persons who have this God-given gift walk into a room and the mood brightens up.    They have the unique ability to speak life-giving words!   The words of affirmation they share can keep you going for days.    

The word "encourage" in French literally means "to put the heart in".     While to discourage is "to tear the heart out".     Encouragers have a way of boosting your spirit and energizing your soul.   So much in our world and in our culture is discouraging;  so many messages seem aimed at tearing the heart out.   But, the good news is God reaches out to us, supremely through Jesus Christ, to save us, empower us, and encourage us to live the abundant and eternal life He has called us to.   

Hebrews 10:19-25 is one of those encouraging passages of scripture that "give us heart."   The writer of Hebrews summarizes at the beginning of this short text how God, in Christ, has become our High Priest - the one who intercedes on our behalf so that our sins may be totally wiped out.  What an awesome encouragement!     Yet, the writer of this powerful scripture doesn't stop with us being encouraged.    Instead, as we are encouraged so are we to encourage others.     Hebrews 10: 23-25, for example, instructs us:  "Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.   Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.   And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, expecially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near."   

May you and I be encouraged this very day by God's grace and mercy.  And, as we are encouraged by this divine graciousness may we share this encouragement with others for Christ's sake.     Share a word(s) of encouragement with someone today.