My husband is a pastor and every Sunday he preaches and feels the life drain out of Him. It is his honor and blessing to serve the Lord, but when he preaches he allows the Spirit to speak through him, and that can often feel weary. When he finishes preaching, he will usually hear, “Good job, Pastor,” or “I liked your sermon today,” or even, “You really stepped on my toes today.” There are even people who think he knew something about them when he preached (he doesn’t preach that way, but the Holy Spirit always knows the hearts of His people). What brings him the most joy is when he sees a life changed. They didn’t just hear the Word, but they put it in action as James 1:22-24 states: “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.”
As Christians, it is not enough to listen to the words the pastor preaches, or podcasts, or Bible teachers. We must put those words into actions. We must take the words of God to heart and hide them in our hearts as Mary did as she pondered everything about the miracles God had done. Then, we must allow those words to change our lives.
As the author of Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” When we hide his word in our hearts, it changes us from the inside out so that we no longer want to sin. May we let His word change us today and everyday.