The Encouragement Credit Card
Never Maxed, Always Ready
Have you ever noticed how a single word of encouragement can change the atmosphere in a room, how it can reshape someone's entire day, maybe even their life?
Words are powerful. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that "death and life are in the power of the tongue," and yet so often, we leave this divine instrument—this ability to speak life—tucked away like an unused credit card in the back of a wallet.
What if we saw encouragement as something limitless, always ready to be spent? Or if we realised there’s no cap on the generosity God invites us to pour out through our words?
In Hebrews 10:24-25, the writer says, "Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
It’s not a polite suggestion. It’s not an “if you have time” or “when you feel like it” sort of thing. Rather, it is a call to action, a call to overflow. The verb here—"encouraging"—is alive. It’s continuous. It’s meant to happen again and again. And again...
Google helpfully informed me that the word “encourage” comes from the Latin root meaning “to put heart into.” Imagine that—every time you encourage someone, you’re putting heart back into them! You’re restoring strength, rebuilding courage, refuelling faith.
The writer of Hebrews knew something about the human soul that you're probably already aware of: we leak. We get weary, we falter. But in the design of God, He’s placed you and me here to do something about it.
The Encouragement Credit Card
Imagine you had an encouragement credit card with no interest, no fees, or limit. Every time you swipe it, something good happens—someone smiles, someone’s spirit lifts, or someone who was ready to quit decides to keep going. That’s the encouragement credit card. You’ve been carrying it around all this time, but how often have you actually used it?
Here’s the wonder of it all: it’s never declined at the point of use. There’s always more to give, always more to say, always another opportunity to make someone’s day.
But sometimes it's held back from use... It's easy to convince ourselves we don’t have the time, or we assume someone else will say the kind word, use the card. We can easily hoard the currency of encouragement as if it’s ours to ration—but the credit card is free because Jesus already paid the balance. He poured out His life so we could live in abundance. And that abundance isn’t just for you to keep—it’s for you to share. The more you give it away, the more you have!
If the card is free, if the balance is infinite, then the real question isn’t “What’s the limit?” Instead, it’s “Why aren’t we using it—or at least, not as much as we could/should/must?”
Perhaps it’s fear. Maybe we worry our words won’t matter or won’t be received. Maybe it’s pride—we think they don’t need our encouragement, or worse, we think we don’t need to give it.
We probably need to encourage ourselves that encouragement lifts not just the recipient but the giver. When you encourage someone, you’re partnering with heaven’s agenda to bring life where there was weariness, hope where there was doubt, joy where there was despair. No matter how selfless the deed—it benefits you!
Think about Barnabas in Acts. His name literally means “Son of Encouragement.” He wasn’t the flashiest, most charismatic, or best-dressed apostle. He wasn’t the loudest or the most famous, and yet, his encouragement changed the trajectory of the early church. He vouched for Paul when no one else would, poured encouragement into John Mark when others had written him off. His words and actions unlocked destinies.
You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room; you just have to use the one you’ve been given.
Going back to the card for a second. Imagine if you gave yourself permission to swipe it freely. If you decided today to send that text, to make that call, to say that thing you’ve been holding back—walking into every interaction with the mindset, "How can I encourage this person right now?" Not because they’ve earned it. Not because you feel like it. But because God has already given you more than enough to give away.
I already said it: this is kingdom economics. The more you give, the more you have. Encouragement isn’t a finite resource; it multiplies, rippling out in ways you’ll never see, because encouragement taps into the very heart of God—the God who gives generously without reproach (James 1:5).
When you speak life into someone, you’re reflecting the gospel itself. Jesus, the ultimate Encourager, stepped into our brokenness, spoke life into our dead hearts, and invited us into a story far bigger than ourselves.
Hebrews 10 ends with this phrase: “as you see the Day drawing near.” What’s the Day? It’s the return of Jesus. The restoration of all things. The moment when every tear is wiped away, and every broken thing is made whole. But until that Day comes, we’re called to be people who build up, not tear down. People who pour out, not hold back. People who scatter encouragement like seeds, trusting that God will grow them into something beautiful.
So go ahead. Take out the card. Splash it around like it’s Christmas morning. Speak life, hope, and Jesus—because, in the end, the only regret you’ll have is the encouragement you never gave.