Hi how are you all today? I am great and have just been on a ladies camp with my church. It was really good – just taking time away for God to move in my life. I feel there is a deep work going on in the inside of me. I am not sure what it means but time and God will unravel it.
This week I want to talk about being intentional. Someone asked me the other day whether it was the same as being disciplined with our time. But I don’t think it is? Let’s have a look at the meaning of the words from the Oxford dictionary.
Intentional means done on purpose or deliberate. Disciplined means showing a controlled form of behaviour or way of working. Disciplined is a physical showing on the outside whereas intentional is from the heart. Disciplined means we have to, intentional means we get to.
For me, it is much better that my heart posture everyday is I get to do these things because I want to instead of doing things because I have to.
Being intentional does not mean we slack off and do nothing. It means we deliberately find our priorities for the day and use our time wisely to achieve them. It means I am intentional in knowing what those priorities are. How do we find them? We be like Jesus.
In John 5:19 in the Message Bible, we read:
19-20 So Jesus explained himself at length. “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.
From this verse, it is apparent that Jesus went to God for what He was meant to do. Just putting it out there, Jesus didn’t heal everyone, only those God told Him to. How do I know this?
In Acts, the lame man that was healed through Peter and John’s ministry had been there 38 years. Jesus probably walked past him. But it was not who God said to heal, so He didn’t. Remember after the cross, healing is now your inheritance but before the cross, it was different.
So when did Jesus get His instructions? In Mark 1:35 in the Message Bible, it reads:
35-37While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed. Simon and those with him went looking for him. They found him and said, “Everybody’s looking for you.”
Jesus received His instructions in the morning. For us, we can receive our instructions in the morning too or even the night before. Most of us have responsibilities so these need to be factored in eg children, household, work, parents etc.
But I am talking about being intentional in your purpose in God. When will we fit that in, in the business of life? God wants us to go to Him and ask. We won’t be judged on how clean our house is but on did we fulfil the plan of God for our lives while we walked on the earth. This will be different for everyone.
My challenge for you this week is to ask God to reveal His purpose for your life- if not the whole purpose, just the next steps. Then be intentional about carving out time to fulfil it. It won’t be a burden but a joy.
Have a great week and keep living the life God intended for you
Bless you
Karen
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