Changing a Heart versus Adding a Rule
I am often confronted with issues where one person has wronged another person. At times people expect me, as the pastor, to enforce morals on people in order to change them. Some how they believe if I talk to them, I can “force” them to change their ways.
I have learned one principle well. Rules never change people.
It doesn’t matter how many you have, how strictly you enforce them, or even how loyal people are to obey them. Rules alone never change a person. Rules are often necessary to protect and bring order to chaos, but for people to change a heart has to change.
Heart changes change people, not rules. Jesus working in a person’s life changes people, not more rules.
You may even be able to force someone to obey the rules…for a time, but compliance alone never indicates a true change of heart.
If you want me to speak to someone’s heart, I will. If you want me to introduce them to Jesus, I would love to, but please don’t expect me to place rules on them that they will most likely not obey and that certainly will never truly change them.
Have you tried to change people with rules? Did it work?
