The Gift Of Exhortation Series

and said it would never work. If you study famous people, you discover that most of them had to

endure endless exhortations to give up and stop being fools. Negative counsel and advice is one of

the hardest obstacles to overcome. Fulton was about to give in to this burden when a man came on

to his boat and asked if he could get him to New York with it. Fulton said he would try. The man

asked how much it would cost, and Fulton had not even thought about that, but after a moments

hesitation he told him it would be six dollars. That man became the first person in history to pay

for a trip on a steam boat. This act of confidence so encouraged Fulton that it changed his whole

life.

Four years later he met this first passenger and said to him, "The vivid emotions caused by

your paying me that first passage money will always be remembered. That, sir, seem the turning

point in my destiny-the dividing line between light and darkness-the first actual recognition of my

usefulness from my fellowmen." Without that encouragement to go on he may have given up. Millions do because they don't get it.

Every man needs encouragement. Henry Ford said, "The ability to encourage others is one of

life's finest assets." He knew, for he was the object of severe criticism and ridicule when he

invented the gasoline engine for the automobile. Most mechanical engineers were convinced

electric carriages were the cars of the future. Thomas Edison heard his plan, however, and with

one sentence of encouragement he changed history. He said to Ford, "Young man, that's the thing!

You have it!" That was all Ford needed to motivate him to press on to perfect his engine.

Everyone needs to be motivated to be his best, and encouragement has been proven to be the

most powerful motivation. The heart of being an exhorter is in having the ability to stand along

side another an motivate them to action by means of advice and counsel that encourages them to

overcome obstacles and press on to victory.

A gracious word may smooth the way;

A joyous word may light the day.

A timely word may lessen stress;

A loving word may heal and bless.

The gift of exhortation means that though all Christians may be capable of seeing what is

wrong and what needs to be done in another's life, not all are capable of motivating that other

Christian to do something about it. What we call personality clashes tend to happen when people

do not have the tact necessary to be gifted, but they try to be exhorters anyway. It makes me think

of the old story of the king who dreamed all his teeth fell out one by one until there was just one

left. He called for one of his wise men to explain the dream. The wise man with sad and mournful

voice told the king that the dream meant that all of relatives would die and he would be left alone.

This angered the king and he drove the servant from his presence.

Another was called and the king told him the dream. This wise man was a little wiser. He

smiled and said, "Rejoice O king. The dream means that you will live many years yet. In fact,