One Heart and Soul

Today I was really convicted about what I read in Acts 4:22-37. I think it is because The Lord is really trying to teach me something. The bible reading today and the question I am to answer today deal with the same thing, the work of the local church. The question I am pondering is "what is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?" So as you can see, they go hand in hand. In Acts it was talking about how the church was of one heart and soul. They spoke the gospel with boldness and were filled with the Holy Spirit. It also says how they had everything in common. They shared possessions and here is the amazing thing, there was not one needy person among them. NOT ONE. Wow!!!! That is hard for me to comprehend. Whenever they saw a need the church came together and met it. Again, Wow!!!! This is not the typical actions of most churches in America. When we came to this church I was astonished at the way people came together when someone had a need. Not only were prayer requests taken very seriously, if there was a way anyone could help with the request it was answered in a matter of minutes. The loop is amazing. The fellowship and accountability at this church is like nothing I have ever seen or experienced before. The problem is that me and my family have sat on the sidelines for 2 years. We have attended services and bible studies but have not really made any effort to really get involved. This year Carl and I have both expressed a desire to get involved more. I have always had the mentality of because I have so many little ones that I really can't do much or offer much. I cannot use that as an excuse anymore because I have seen other families with children just as young as ours serve The Lord with such passion that I can't help but be convicted that I am not doing enough. My goal this year is to be more involved in the church and in our community. I am not sure how that will look but I need to be open to whatever The Lord wants me to do. It is more about an attitude and heart of service. That is what I need to start with, my heart. I need to pray for a more compassionate heart. I need to look for ways to serve him and help those who attend our church and in our community. I want to be able to say that there are no needy people around me.

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