It’s Intentional

25 May It’s Intentional

Read1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT)

Thought for the Day: God asks me to follow Him intentionally!

In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul highlighted what it means to live a life of purpose. Rather than doing the right thing some of the time, Paul stressed the need for believers to intentionally pursue Christ in all parts of their lives. Writing to a First Century culture obsessed with sports, he used two examples: a runner and a boxer. When a runner enters a race, they don’t move aimlessly; instead, a successful runner commits to a goal and pursues it. When a boxer enters the ring, they don’t just punch at the air and leave things up to chance; rather, a successful boxer directly engages the target. Similarly, Christians need to follow God’s plan intentionally.

It can be easy to believe that some details of faith don’t matter. This mindset is like running aimlessly and punching the air, hoping that things will just work out randomly. When we do this, we find ourselves leaving everything up to chance. We know we are called to dedicate specific time to prayer and Bible reading daily. Still, it is easier to leave this up to chance and hope that we will somehow have extra time at the end of the day to spend with God. While we know we are called to serve and lead our families, we can fail to talk to our children about faith and hope that someone more qualified than we are will step in. When we do this, we forget that God has called each of us to step up in the roles He has placed us in. We are called to live purposefully as disciples of Jesus.

At various times, Christians can find themselves running aimlessly and punching the air. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to recognize that while Jesus calls us to live purposeful lives, He also extends grace. No matter where we are today, we can stop running aimlessly. We don’t need to wait for someone more qualified to step in. God has a plan for us every day. Let’s take this moment to realize that living a life of faith isn’t accidental – it’s intentional!

In Christ,

Pastors Stan and David