{"id":42745,"date":"2013-08-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-08-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/gadgets-nag-us-to-change-behavior\/"},"modified":"2013-08-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-08-19T00:00:00","slug":"gadgets-nag-us-to-change-behavior","status":"publish","type":"sermon-illustrations","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/gadgets-nag-us-to-change-behavior\/","title":{"rendered":"Gadgets Nag Us to Change Behavior"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>No matter how hard we try we just can&#39;t seem to shed our need to live by law rather than grace. An article in <em class=\"citation\">The Wall Street Journal<\/em> explored the new wave of gadgets that will remind, cajole, pressure, threaten, judge, and nag us about what we&#39;re supposed to do and how to punish ourselves when we fall short.<\/p>\n\n<p>For instance, a new smart-utensil measures how fast you eat while it prods you to slow down and chew. A company offers a device that will chirp when a driver speeds, slams on the brakes, or does other things behind the wheel that your mother wouldn&#39;t like. You can buy a toothbrush that wirelessly tells a phone app how often and how long you brush your teeth. The phone app sends the user rewards and punishments based on brushing behavior. A webcam software program will catch you slouching, and another website will tally fines for undesirable behaviors like not flossing or staying up too late.<\/p>\n\n<p>One device user said that the digital nagging can &quot;kind of run your life.&quot; Another user said, &quot;It&#39;s now possible to have a device in the background of your life recording everything you do.&quot;<\/p>\n\n<p><em>Possible Preaching Angles: <strong>(1) Law; Legalism; Grace<\/strong>&mdash;Although these devices may be helpful, they also sound a lot like trying to live by &quot;the law.&quot; These gadgets &quot;change&quot; our external behavior by relying on pressure and threats. God changes our hearts not through performance but through his grace. <strong>(2) Holy Spirit; Conviction<\/strong>&mdash;This isn&#39;t the way the Spirit convicts us. The Spirit leads us into true growth and change through love, not impersonal pressure.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"template":"","tax_ctp_audience":[],"tax_ctp_authors":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[165],"tax_ctp_format":[171],"tax_ctp_illustration_types":[411],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[140],"tax_ctp_tags":[3477,3690,3694,3726,4050,4051,4088,4089,4156,4158,4159,4341,4342,4356,4360,4882],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-42745","sermon-illustrations","type-sermon-illustrations","status-publish","hentry","tax_publications-ct-pastors","tax_ctp_tags-behavior","tax_ctp_tags-conviction","tax_ctp_tags-correction","tax_ctp_tags-culture","tax_ctp_tags-gift-of-righteousness","tax_ctp_tags-gift-of-salvation","tax_ctp_tags-grace","tax_ctp_tags-grace-of-god","tax_ctp_tags-holy-spirit","tax_ctp_tags-holy-spirit-indwelling-of","tax_ctp_tags-holy-week","tax_ctp_tags-law","tax_ctp_tags-law-grace","tax_ctp_tags-leading-of-holy-spirit","tax_ctp_tags-legalism","tax_ctp_tags-sanctification"],"acf":{"scripture_references":[{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Gadgets Nag Us to Change Behavior - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/gadgets-nag-us-to-change-behavior\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gadgets Nag Us to Change Behavior - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"No matter how hard we try we just can&#039;t seem to shed our need to live by law rather than grace. 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