Becoming You – Living Intentionally (Lesson 4)

My study of Ecclesiastes has taught me how valuable it is to live intentionally. But I still struggle with getting caught up in the dailies of life. Life happens. The years roll by and the next thing you know they have snowballed and you’re reflecting on 30 years of coulda, woulda, shoulda’s. 

But lost dreams and missed opportunities are unfortunately the stuff “regrets” are made of.

Today, we’re going to look at Jesus, the Master of all things, (including intentional living) – and we’re going to look at five lessons we can learn from the way He spent His brief 33 1/2 years on earth.

1. Everywhere He went He did so with a purpose greater than fulfilling a task or reaching a destination.
In Matthew 4:23 it tells us, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.”
Each step of the way, He was intentional about making a difference wherever He went.

2. He was intentionally observant of the needs of those around Him.
The beautiful Beatitudes we find etched on the pages of Scripture come to us from the side of a mountain filled with followers who were sick, weary, poor and needy. Matthew 5:1-2 says, “And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them saying:”

He was fully present where He was. He didn’t look over the needs of others with His eyes fixed on the destination. He SAW the people and ministered to them. The task was not more important than the people. The task was the people.

3. Jesus taught us that if we fear God we have nothing else to fear.
In Luke 12:4-7, we find Jesus saying these powerful words, ““And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

We often don’t move forward in our journey to becoming who we were created to be because we allow fear to paralyze us. Jesus reminds us that when we fear God, we have nothing else to fear!

4. Keep the main thing the main thing.
In Luke 12:29-32 Jesus encourages us with these words, “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

You’ve heard it said that if the enemy can’t cause you to sin, he will keep you busy. A busy life often equals a distracted life. We can be busy with a lot of things that don’t matter to a hill of beans. To take some very intentional steps toward our God-given destinies, we must put some blinders on and focus on the ultimate goal of seeking our Savior first. He desires to give us the kingdom – so why in the world would we be so busy tying to build our own?

5. Know why you’re here.
In John 12:27, Jesus clarifies His life’s call… “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.”

Jesus understood the steps He took would ultimately lead Him to the cross. It was for that purpose that He came. When we know where we are headed, each step should be intentional…even if it’s difficult.
We never take a trip without knowing where we plan on ending up. We chart a course, make a plan and shift gears to begin heading in that direction. It’s all very intentional!

But if we stay in nuetral or accidentally put it in reverse, we either just sit there or begin moving backward.

So, sweet friends, if we’re going to take some positive steps in becoming who we were created to be, we must be just as intentional in our dailies as we would be if we were planning a trip.

Below, I’ve pasted some encouraging quotes to help you in your journey. I’d love to hear from you and find out how you are doing in your journey. What is preventing you from taking steps to becoming you?

  • [God] deposits a dream of what we can be for Him, a dream that acts as our internal honing device. –Wayne Cordeiro
  • You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. –Richard Bach
  • The way of the dreamer is difficult, but anything less is hardly living at all. -Bruce Wilkenson
  • You see things; and you say, “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?” -George Bernard Shaw








2 Comments

  1. We should live each day as if it were our last! This is so hard to do at times b/c we think we have tomorrow! I already have so many what-if's, woulda's and coulda's. I am striving to be different. Good lesson. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

  2. Cindy ~ I love that! Along time ago I decided I was going to try to live like today was my last and plan like I'd live for another 100 years! Still trying to do that. Not always easy when life becomes so distracting, but what a difference that would make if we could constantly live like that! Thanks for sharing that powerful reminder!

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