This week as I was reading in the book of Acts, I came across a challenging passage that I had not thought about for quite some time. Acts 17:10-15 talks about a group of people from Berea that were ministered to by Paul. Verse 11 says this; "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (NIV)

There are two things to note here in Luke's (the author of Acts) contrasting look at the Bereans and the Thessalonians. The Bereans were eager for the message and examined it to see if it was true. If we look back earlier in the chapter, Luke talks about how when Paul was in Thessalonica, he reasoned with them on three different Sabbath days (that is at least three weeks) to convince them in proving that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. (Acts 17:2) Then he goes on to say that some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul. Persuaded? It sounds like Paul had to almost twist their arm and that Paul had to do all of the convincing. It is almost as if the Thessalonians were sitting back and saying to Paul, "Prove it."

In contrast, the Bereans are eager for the message. They can't get enough. It says that they didn't get up and leave church on Sunday and say "Oh what a lovely service today. So, what's for lunch?" They did not just accept what Paul had to say and them and move on to more important things. They realized that this was more than just a fanatical guy named Paul. They realized the power and truth to what he was saying and they took the initiative that I am sure was a byproduct of their eagerness-and what does scripture say-they EXAMINED the scriptures every day.

It is for these two things that the Bible says the Bereans were of more noble character. Taking a few moments to look at these people and their response to the gospel should compel us to look at how we respond to the gospel. The idea I'd like you to chew on this week is quite simple. What are you doing with the gospel? Are you asking that others persuade and convince you? Are you taking what you hear at church during the week and forgetting what was said or how it might apply and change your life, or are you taking it with you throughout your week while allowing the thought to simmer in your brain a little. Are you letting the words soak into your heart, mind and soul and then taking some time out of your week to dig a little bit further so that it becomes real to you, where you are right now, on Tuesday at 7:42 pm.

If we begin to ask ourselves these kinds of questions, we will begin to see a deeper level of realness in our Christian walk. We will begin to be changed by what we hear during the week and in doing so, allow us a chance to bring change into the lives of those around us.

Final Thought: Like anything in life, if we put a little bit of time and effort into it, it means more and we will get more out of it in the end.