Coercion or Inspiration?

There's a tv commercial which Tom and I hate. 

We turn the station or mute it every time it comes on. The sad thing is that it's a commercial for a well-known children's charity. The even sadder thing is that the spokesman stands there for two minutes telling us in sarcastic, belittling, condemning tones why we should give to this charity. You begin to feel like he's your disappointed father who never thinks you'll amount to much. Or that high school teacher who had it in for you.

It's awful and like I said, sad.

There's a tv evangelist we never watch anymore, though we used to try. We believe most of the same things, yet during his sermons he always sounds angry. He frowns and ridicules the people in his congregation by telling sarcastic jokes about them. I really don't understand how they can sit there and take it except perhaps they believe he's talking about everyone else, but certainly not them.

I don't know. All I know is that we cannot watch him, either, though like I said, we have tried--many times. We even have friends who think he's the greatest thing since kleenex.

So what's my point? I would rather inspire than coerce people to give and to live a wonderful life for God.

Maybe I'm extra-sensitive in this area because I've had to greatly change my own tone. At times I still slip and get 'preachy under-tones' and Tom or my relatives will remark about it. But those times have lessened as I've let God change me from the inside. He's done more than work on my tone--He's worked on my heart. 

To me, the greater miracle is when people act in love because God spoke to their hearts through anointed words and kind deeds, not by going through the motions out of the guilt someone dumped upon them. It's more touching (and lasting) when others are inspired by watching someone live a godly, selfless life. 

Are there ever times to speak firmly and with heated passion? Of course. Look at the way Jesus spoke to the money changers in the temple and the Pharisees, too. But He was being led by the passion of God in both those incidences. And that is wildly different than my being led by frustration or bitterness or a bad attitude and seeing everyone else as money changers and Pharisees when they are not.

Coercion and inspiration? Totally different. To me, inspiration will reap greater results because others are being led by their hearts rather than by invisible, forceful cords around their necks.

 Inspiration allows us to breathe and run in freedom--and we can live a pretty incredible life that way.



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