A warning from Martin Luther as to why it is important to win the heart of a person:
Dear friends, a man must not insist in his rights, but must see what is useful and helpful to his brother. I would not have gone as far as you have done if I had been there. What you did was good, but you have gone too fast, for there are brothers and sisters on the other side who belong to us, and must still be won….
Faith never yields, but love is guided according to how our neighbors can grasp or follow it. There are some who can run, others who must walk, but still others who can hardly creep. Therefore we must not look on our own, but on our brother’s powers so that he that is weak in faith…may not be destroyed.
…Let us therefore throw ourselves at one another’s feet, join hands and help one another….
We must first win the hearts of the people. And that is done when I teach only the Word of God, preach only the Word of God, and if you win the heart, you win the whole man.
–Martin Luther
God, help me to bow down in humility to others, join hands, and help those who need more patience, care, and concern. Help me not run so far and so fast that I unwittingly trample over those who need more tenderness and compassion.