Intentional... or am I?

I'm really excited about starting this new blog. I hope that as you read what God is teaching me, both through his Word and through the opportunities that He has graciously given me, you will be inspired to seek Him more. Some of these ramblings may not make sense because many of them will come straight from my heart, but it is my prayer that they will only draw you closer to Him and may bring you to examine your own relationship with the one, true God. So here we go... (Be ready, you are about to read the word "intentional" 16 times)


I've been thinking a lot lately about living an intentional life. So what does it mean to be intentional? Intentional is to be mentally determined to carry out some action or purpose. So what am I intentional about? Wow... lots of things. For example, I'm intentional about making good grades. I'm intentional about keeping in touch with some old friends. I'm intentional about hanging out with my friends. I'm intentional about loving my family. I'm intentional about making time to watch Lost and Sportscenter. I'm intentional about those things on a pretty consistent basis. It became obvious that the things that I'm consistently intentional about are the things in my life that I value the most... such as my education, friends, family, my favorite TV shows.

But then when I look to the things that Jesus was intentional about, I'm not so consistent with those things. I'm not always intentional about things like finding time for prayer (Mark 1:35), authentic worship through my actions (John 4:24), seeking His will in my life (1 Peter 4:2), making His presence known to other people (Acts 1:8), and ultimately bringing Him glory in all things (1 Cor 10:31). These are all things that are essential in my growth as a believer. Being intentional about these will only bring me closer to my Father.

God is teaching me right now to really examine my heart to see what I value. It's not fun. In fact, it's embarrassing to think of all the things that I'm intenional about in my daily life and then to reflect on my spiritual disciplines and see how often I lack a sense of urgency and intention.



So can I ask you... what are you intentional about? What areas of your life do you need to step up and have more urgency to see them carried out?