The Power of Persuasion

Have you ever wondered why God wants us to be slow to anger and why He commands us to watch what we say to believers and non-believers? In Matthew Jesus talks about being slow to anger and loving our enemies. In most Bible’s this section is labeled as the Beatitudes. In the Beatitudes, Jesus offers to His listeners a challenge. He tells His audience they should love their enemies. In fact, Jesus tells His listeners if their enemy strikes them on one side of their face, they should offer them the other side. In addition, if the enemy wants their coat, they should offer them their shirt as well. Wow! This is a new way of dealing with people, or is it? How many of us have heard the adage, “You get more flies with honey?” Jesus is in essence telling His audience this very thing. Conflict, often times, leads to dissention, provocation, and chasms between people that may never be filled. However, truth mixed with love makes for a very persuasive concoction that often times allows people to see it your way. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can.” Persuasion is a powerful tool and one we don’t use often. Through the power of persuasion men have fought battles that odds said they could never win, yet they did. The power of persuasion is immeasurable.  In so much that it sent Jesus to the cross. However, without it we would not have eternal life today.


My challenge for us today is to use persuasion to make friends of our enemies. To love unconditionally and close the gaps with those people in our lives that have hurt us. Jesus tells us in the Beatitudes to love those who hurt us and to pray for them. Why?  Because if we only love those who love us what have we really gained?