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bigmike

How Jesus Changed Hearts Without Condemning Them
“And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” (1 John 3:22).
How do you get someone to change his mind—especially when he doesn’t really want to change? Jesus Christ was a master motivator. He never manipulated people, but He did move them in deep, powerful ways, and when He motivated them to do something, their behavior changed dramatically. No one can really succeed without being able to motivate other people, and to help them change their minds and move the same direction in harmony. But how Jesus did it is so different from the techniques of motivation which many people use today.
How did Jesus motivate people? In answering that question, look with me at the encounter Jesus had with a woman who earned her living as a common prostitute. You can read about the incident in John 8. A street woman was set up by a group of Pharisees who wanted to trick Jesus. Sure enough, they knew where to find the young woman. “We caught her in the very act,” they righteously boasted. “Now the law says, stone her. What do you say, Jesus?” In this story, three principles of motivation serve as guidelines for us.
Principle #1: There was confrontation without condemnation. Technically, the Pharisees were right. They had caught her in the very act. She was guilty. Nobody, not even Jesus, questioned that. When Jesus leaned over, He quietly, without even saying a word, began to write in the sand. John doesn’t tell us what He wrote, but there had to be a relationship between what He wrote and the fact that the ones who were accusing her turned and left one by one.
Then Jesus asked, “Woman, where are your accusers?” So, how do we apply this today? If you are to motivate people—whether it is your husband or son, the people who work for you, you must learn to confront without condemnation. Now that’s tough because blame comes easy. Condemnation, though, drives a person away from you instead of bringing them closer to you.
Principle #2: Jesus demonstrated acceptance without endorsement. Did Jesus approve of her profession? Not for a moment, but he still accepted her as a person of value and worth. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No!
There comes a time in the experience of almost every parent of a teenager, when Mom or Dad has to differentiate between acceptance and approval. The dad whose son is drinking doesn’t approve of what the boy is doing to himself, but he still loves his boy. The mother whose daughter is living with a man to whom she is not married is broken‑hearted. Don’t break off the relationship with your son or daughter. As Jesus did, you can love the person without accepting his wrongdoing.
Principle #3: There was forgiveness without license. “Where are your accusers?” “No man accuses me, Lord.” “Neither do I,” says Jesus. “Go and sin no more!” A good motivator has to put aside past failures without giving a person license to turn around and repeat the same failure. You put confidence in the person so they will not turn around and blow it again.
The New Testament is full of directives which tell us we need to motivate each other towards doing right. The Bible tells us to encourage each other, to exhort each other, to help each other move back towards the purpose and calling of God, and how we do that is a technique of motivation.
Let me encourage you not to sell yourself short as a motivator. Your life touches several people more closely than anyone else—a friend, a mate, a child, an elderly person. You can motivate people for good.
Resource reading: 1 John 3.

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