Intentional Living
Let me begin with a few examples.
- Sit down on a stool and place your tennis shoes upon your feet. Now tie them.
- Stand before the bathroom sink, take up your toothbrush, cover the bristles with paste, and brush your teeth.
- Place your body inside your vehicle. Turn over the engine, back out of the parking space. Place the vehicle in drive (or in 1st gear if you are fortunate enough to own a vehicle with a manual transmission). Now drive in the direction your vehicle is pointed.
- Prepare the food for dinner, call the family to the kitchen table, take your seat, bow to pray, gather up your fork and knife. Eat.
- There are so many actions we do—mindlessly.
- Yes, there are so many actions we daily do, trusting that they will be part of our everyday.
Have we ever wondered how we are to walk with the LORD as we go through this life?
Have we ever considered what that walk should look like within our daily lives?
Have we ever pondered the enormity of what our life would be like if we had not accepted Jesus’ offer of salvation?
Have we ever faced the truth that we could just as easily said “NO” to Jesus as we said “YES, LORD. PLEASE SAVE ME”?
There are so many actions we do—mindlessly, but there is one action we SHOULD NEVER MINDLESSLY DO.
WE SHOULD—FOLLOW OUR LORD & SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST—
WITH INTENTIONAL LIVING!
Let us see In the Bible how it speaks of how we are to live. Please See With Me the Word of God recorded in Romans.
“Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
(Romans 6: 8-11)
- We are to live on purpose—God’s Purpose.
- We are to live intentionally—Seeking moment-by-moment the leading of the Holy Spirit.
- We are to live prayerfully—Listening for the voice of God as we walk through our day.
- We are to live prayerfully—Lifting prayers for those who are struggling.
- We are to live—“Alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
- We are to live, knowing—“death [is] no longer master over Him.”
- We are to live—“dead to sin.”
We are to live—Alive & Living for God!
Anytime a person comes to faith in God and gains the privilege to live as a child of God, it is a miracle of God foremost. As he lives out his faith in God, it becomes miracle after miracle, seeing God alive and working within and through his life.
- God is at work in you.
- God is at work in me.
As the body of believers, as the church, as the children of God, we are to remember that God is at work in faraway places and in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and friendships.
God’s Kingdom Has Come & Will Come!
We talk so much about the sanctity of human life. In looking up the definition, I found this: “For Christians, human life is sacred and is a gift from God which is to be respected and protected. The sanctity of life is a principle of implied protection regarding aspects of sentient life [capable of emotions like joy and gratitude] that are to be holy, sacred, or otherwise of such value that they are not to be violated.”
Sanctity of human life is womb to tomb. We see the importance of this when we think of the horrible consequence found in abortion. I wonder if we also see the importance of this when we think of the horrible consequence found in the life of a Believer, of a Christian—not lived for God.
- Let us live with intentionality.
- Let us be alive—living for God.
- Let us live on purpose—His Will & His Purpose.
- Let us Love Out Loud.
- Let Us—Begin Today.
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM?
But we have the mind of Christ.”
(1 Corinthians 2: 12-16)
There is a melody by Phil Wickham that you may want to enjoy today. “Hymn of Heaven”
May we intentionally LIVE this day—walking, doing, loving, prayerfully following the will of God through the precious blood of Jesus flowing through us—living within “the mind of Christ.”
May we live a Legacy of Faith.
Whatever is slowing us down, may we “Lay Aside This Weight” & “Run All Out” For God.
May we “Run All The Way” Until We Arrive Home!
May we Live On Purpose—Intentional.