Living and Loving with Intentionality

Recently, my church participated in an outreach effort to meet the needs of the community and impact them with the gospel of Christ. I eagerly signed my committment card the first Sunday of this month. I have always enjoyed serving people so I looked forward to being able to do so in a group effort.

Wow. God really taught me so much during the event. Specifically, He taught me that everyday I should wake up with intentionality looking for opportunities to share Christ with those who are lost. In a tangible way, I, along with other believers can meet practical needs of people. How often, I have overlook those who are in desperate need. I am either too busy with my own agenda or in a rush. In our fast paced society, it is common for individuals to rush from one activity to another. Nothing wrong with staying busy and active, yet we need to pause to look out for those around us.



I'll be the first to admit. Although I want to be a blessing to others, I don't always put other's needs above my own. I mean, really...who wakes up cheerfully every morning when their alarm clock buzzes in their ear? I know I always wish I had more time to sleep. I must confess that I don't wake up with a smile on my face and a song in my heart, looking to be a blessing to others as soon as my feet hit the floor. Oftentimes, I like to roll over and sleep just ten more minutes. Or if I do get up as soon as my alarm clock goes off, I walk around in a grouch stupor for thirty-minutes. So often, we think our day doesn't start until we've had our caffeine fix and a donut. How spoiled are we that we have to have a certain criteria before we can ever be tolerable to those arounds us...let alone look for ways to bless them. I know that is an area where I struggle. I want to be able to start my day asking God, "How can I be a blessing? Use me, mold me, and shape me to be more like You."


When I have six college exams in one week, I am going to stress and study very hard. Nothing wrong with that...we should be diligent in our work and glorify Christ. However, if we place temporal things above the Kingdom of God, that is when we misalign our priorities. All I am saying is that if we are going to make a difference and impact this generation for Christ, we must give more weight to the Kingdom of God than the present day-to day assignments and tasks. So, therefore, yes I must study and do my best to glorify Christ. Yet, I shouldn't place more priority of studying over top of living everyday with intentionality for Christ. For example, I should go to class prepared and glorify God in my studies, yet I should be even more concerned with reaching my classmates with the gospel of Christ.This applies to those working. Do you place more value in your dedication to your job than your dedication to Jesus? Just something I have been pondering...The Bible says that if we seek first the Kingdom of God, then all these things will be added unto us. In other words, if we place Jesus Christ as the #1 priority in our lives, He will align everything so that we can still give our best to our jobs, schoolwork, family life, etc. Yet, it is just so crucial that we keep HIM as the top priority in order for other areas of our lives to line up with His will for our lives.

Brothers and sisters, I encourage each and everyone of you to live and love this week with intentionality. Put Christ first, and He will add all the other things unto you. When the alarm clock buzzes at 6:30 am, let's put a smile on our face and look forward to impacting our communities for the gospel of Christ.

We only have one life to live.
Let's make it count for Christ.