intentionality- the fact of being deliberate or purposive (working towards a goal, being purposeful in thought/action)
For a while now, the idea of being intentional has been on my heart. From a day to day basis, are we living on purpose or just letting life happen to us?
Often times, it is quite easy to forget that time here on Earth is not promised. It is easy for us to get sucked into the routine of life, to go through the motions, and forget that we are here for a purpose, not just for ourselves. It is common for us to go through the day of school or work, come home, unwind, eat, sleep, and repeat. However, that is not the life we were designed for. Our mission is to spread the Gospel, so how are we taking our faith into school, work, errands, etc. to shine the light and reach the lost?
None of us are promised tomorrow, yet many of us trust that we are going to wake up in the morning. Reality is, if Jesus did come back in the next few days or hours, would we be ready- ready to stand before the King of kings, Lord of lords and give an account for how we spent our precious, fleeting time here on this Earth?
Are we truly using every opportunity God presents us to the fullest we can? For instance, any door opened or gift received, do we give it back to God or take it to Him and ask how we can use this for His glory? This can be with anything, a new job, are we taking Him with us and reaching our co-workers/customers? Our social media, or parts of our life where we hold influence, do we use it as unto God?
This life is truly not about us, so we must not get caught up into the trap of how we can benefit from opportunities but live with a Kingdom mindset. This furthers into living for God wholeheartedly, not paying any attention to the things of the world (money, status, opinions, etc.)
Would you be willing to give up your life for Christ? This truly comes down to what you value, because if you think about it, anything lost to share Christ is truly gain to be able to exemplify His glory. Who cares what happens to the outer body, because they cannot damage our spirit that Christ has placed within us. Remember that, "We are not a body with a soul, but a soul with a body." -Wayne W. Dyer
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." - Matthew 10:28
"But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated" - 1 Peter 3:14
Jesus was here for 33 years, that is 12,045 days. That was all. Yet in His time here, He created the most powerful ministry that is just as prevalent today as it was then. The average lifespan of a human today is about 73 years. That is over double how long Jesus lived, yet what do we have to show for it? What lasting impacts are we making? How are we spending our days? Yes every single day matters, every hour, every minute, every second leads into the rest of our lives!
From the first moment we encountered Christ to now, how much of our lives reflect Jesus and spreading the Gospel?
In the average life-span, a typical human can expect to have spent:
4 years eating
26 years sleeping
7 years on social media
10 years just waiting (waiting in lines, in cars, etc.)
How much can you say you spent spreading the Gospel? How you spend your time, reflects your priorities, so what are you making time for within your day? You will make time for what you want to make time for, are you barely squeezing in Jesus or does He take first place, truly?
“I have been crucified with Christ: and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me," -Galatians 2:20, meaning we can't fit Jesus into our lifestyle, we have to fit into His lifestyle
In those 10 years of just purely waiting, that’s time spent in lines (lines for food, waiting for the streets lights to turn green, waiting until the teacher lets you into class, waiting at the grocery store, amusement lines, restaurants, etc.) How can we be intentional within that? In those times of just standing in line, we can strike up a conversation with those around us about the Gospel. We can invite people to church! Not just that, but instead of just being on your phone, you can be different, you can demonstrate a positive attitude because of Christ, you can pray, you can talk to God and see where He guides you in the wait. Wherever you are, there is always room to be intentional, and perform tasks as unto Christ.
It is so vital in this day and age to truly be bold in your faith because we are in the end times and there are so many lost souls out there just grabbing anything and everything that "looks good" rather than having the true truth. So how are we remaining intentional within our own walks, dedicating ourselves to Christ and the Great Commission He has called us to?
I urge you to not be so easily caught up in the distractions and the temporary of the now that you forget about the eternal and lose focus of what really matters- JESUS!! Do not let your temporary feelings, make permanent decisions that will affect you in the long run. Remain with your perspective fixed upon the eternal.
reflective questions :
what does it mean to you to be intentional? look like in your own routine?
what have you been intentional with lately ?
what are areas in your life you can improve upon being intentional with ?
where do you find your focus or priorities tend to fall ? (friends, family, future, temp goals, Jesus) What do you make time for in your day, what goes at the top of your list?
how can you apply this ? how will you?
Further Encouragement
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