Friday, July 8, 2022

Be intentional

 


Intentional. What does it mean that be intentional? Intentional is defined as done on purpose; deliberate.

I set out with Miss P last evening to the walking trail. As I have been doing each day for awhile now, I asked God to show me what it is that he wants me to do, to see, to hear.....

See, I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss anything he has for me. I don't want to run the show any longer. I desperately desire to walk in freedom and freedom is promised when I seek HIS precepts (general rules intended to regulate behavior). I'm not sure how I got here but I know I don't want to leave. I feel like a kid in a candy store surrounded by everything I could ever want.

"I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts."
Psalms 119:45

As I began to notice the wild flowers I began to snap pictures. It was at that point I felt God prompting me. It's wasn't just about the flowers or the water......Though Miss P creates a good conversation starter, being intentional means paying attention....never looking down...never missing an opportunity and being aware of your surroundings at all times. God will intentionally create circumstances that will cause me to be intentional. Confusing?  See, it's NOT about me!! God directs the path, period. I head down that slippery slope of self when I give myself credit for anything but obedience. And even in obedience, though I can choose yes or no, God CAUSES me to choose either or....See, it's right back to Christ IN me.... I am no longer my own. Now, don't panic and say, "this is not a God I wish to follow". NO!! The very moment you feel the freedom in Christ you'll wonder why you'd choose anything else.

So what does living an intentional life for Christ really look like?

Remember when you were a kid and someone did something to you and you screamed, "You did that on purpose!!!!!" Everyday we make decisions on purpose. 

Genesis chapter one is just one example of God's intentionality. "In the beginning God......"And God said" is written ten times. God called, God saw, God set, God made, God created... He was intentional.....he created on purpose, he was deliberate. Remember, God did not need us then or now but he CHOSE us. He CREATED us. How much better does he know what we need...what is best for us?

Then in Revelation, the end of his Word we see our future..our final destination. He's already there preparing a place for ME.....on purpose!!

"My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
John 14:2‭-‬3 

•I HAVE told you
•I AM going
•I WILL come back
•I WILL take you to be with me

And how can I grasp those promises? 

THIS.RIGHT.HERE

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

As always, God gives us a perfect example in his son Jesus. In scripture Jesus missed nothing. He didn't miss the woman at the well, he didn't miss the leper or the paralyzed man at the pool. He didn't dismiss the angst felt by the family that ran out of wine at the wedding. He cared about those who were afraid. He shows us that even he asked God three times to take away the horrific death by crucifixion. He shows us how to care for those that don't deserve it. How to forgive when we don't want to. He calls us friend and shows us how to be one. He shows us how to be silent when we desperately want to defend our position. He shows us how to be kind, compassionate, sensitive....how not to judge others. He teaches us how to be appalled at injustice...how to support the least of these. I could go on and on......I actually don't want to stop. 😟 Jesus is our perfect example of intentionality. If we simply look to him we will learn to be just like him. I want that!

"Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Ephesians 5:1‭-‬2 

I know that if I am so caught up in this life...what I have, what I don't have, what I want, what I have that I don't want.....I will miss how God has intentionally planned for me to be intentional. I will not live the life that is wholly mine, designed specifically for me. 

What would my life look like if I was intentional in everything I did? Right now I'm sitting on my porch taking in the beauty of God's creation. The birds are singing, the sun is rising, it's cool, the neighbors chickens are free ranging in their yard, my puppy is snuggled beside me, my Bible is open on the table in front of me....and I'm doing what I love to do...writing the words as God pours them into my heart. How foolish I would be if I took credit for any of it. God intentionally chose, for me, to choose on purpose, sitting before him this morning.

Today, I have no agenda. There is nothing I have to do...nothing but listen for God's directives. Sure I have appointments...but how different they are when God guides them. I love a checklist. I'm organized. I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't have a checklist. I don't have to feel burdened to be intentional. I just have to allow God the ability to work through me. When he knocks and I refuse to let him in is when I step out of his will and my  intentionality becomes me and not him. I hope that makes sense. Simply put, it is not me, it is Christ IN me that causes me to see as he sees...the outcome is me being like Jesus.

I hope you know Jesus. He is my hope. He can be yours too.

Have a beautiful day.

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