Winning Souls vs. Winning Arguments

Nobody can convince anybody about anything when it boils down to an argument. Even Christians don't always agree with each other.

Disagreements happen as everyone has their own opinion about something. This includes what to believe and follow where Christianity is concerned. Even among the disciples who followed Jesus, these people didn't always agree with each other either. This was the case before and after his death and resurrection.

I remember watching a commercial about the sun and the wind. I was just a kid but it was one of the best commercials I ever watched. The wind was convinced he could force a man to lose his jacket. As the wind blew, the man held his jacket even tighter, refusing to take it off.

The sun's approach was by gentle persuasion. Although the commercial had the man take the jacket off in the end due to the sun's heat, he could have easily escaped into an air-conditioned building. While inside, he could have kept the jacket on.

Forcing someone to see your point of view and agree with it never works. Even if you know you're 100% right, it's up to the other person to figure it out. I'm always game for a good debate but I've learned trying to force someone to see exactly what I see is a futile attempt at best.

And it brings home the reality that patience really is a virtue and why God has so much of it.  Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:14;