So many times we go to church and we think, "that was an awesome message." And it usually is. The question is, "What will we do with it?" It steps on our toes, it challenges us, it inspires us...but is that enough? Did it change us? Did it spur us to action? Did it grip our heart so deeply that we have to do something more than we're doing? Or will we simply file it away and forget about it?

Over the years I've heard some pretty amazing things said from a pulpit. Some brought me to tears. Some caused a stirring in my heart, a conviction so strong that I knew something had to change. But often times, change can be hard. We're so stuck in our ruts and routine. I don't want to get to the end of my life and wonder if I did enough. I don't want to regret the opportunities I missed. I don't want those awesome messages to go in one ear and out the other.

I wrote a song once and one of the verses said, "What would it mean if I listened to Your word, but nothing changed inside my heart after all that I had heard...and what good would it do if I said I worshiped You, yet my life wasn't showing that worship to be true?" When we hear the Word with our hearts, not merely our ears, it will be life changing. And that change will cause our lives to be a reflection of the love of Christ, living out our worship in tangible ways. I've often seen that people are more willing to listen to the gospel when they are having their emotional and physical needs met.How can we preach of a loving God and do nothing while people are hurting? How can we sit in our ivory towers and look down at the poor and downtrodden? How can we sit idly by while people are dying all around us? Sometimes it's easy for people to go in and tell someone about Jesus, maybe even offer to pray for them, but then turn and leave them in their misery. Where is the love in that? Would this be Jesus' response? I can't say that I've always shown the kind of love that Jesus would. I can't say that I've taken every opportunity to share His love with others. What I can say is that I want to be better at loving those who God loves.