When Christ said, “Follow Me” He
was intentional. Jesus had a purpose
behind calling those fishermen in Matthew 4.19.
He saw something in them and
called them from their profession to life of service. He saw something in them
they did not see in themselves. I am sure it took many adjustments to go from a
fishing career to walking with Jesus every day. No matter how hard it was, the
apostles lived an intentional life.
Their purpose was different, their
thoughts were challenged and most of all, their purpose grew greater. Remember
the words of Christ, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men”? Jesus was
transforming their life to one of intentionally living for Him.
As Christians, I don’t think it
is necessary to leave your job, but I do believe it is necessary to live
intentionally for Christ. Because of Christ we are a changed people, let us
live for Him.
How to Live Intentionally!
Start living
intentionally today – Many people plan on following Christ tomorrow. If you
know the great news of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15.1-8) and you know you
needed Jesus (Acts 2.29-37, then it is time to do something about it (Acts
2.38).
Create a Plan
– The old saying is, “Fail to plan and you plan to fail.” It takes some
planning to live intentionally. Plan to read your Bible. Plan to take notes.
Plan to talk with some about coming to services.
Start
Small – Begin your intentional life by starting small. Get plugged in to
the activities of the congregation and spend time with others who are living
intentionally. Having a supportive and caring family is a powerful key to
spiritual growth. (1 Corinthians 12.26)
He wrote more than 30 books and
his works have been translated into more than 30 languages and sales have
reached millions of copies. If you are familiar with his works, you know about
his profound knowledge and wisdom. Some may know of him through his work, “The
Chronicles of Narnia.” His name was Clive Staples Lewis; better known as C. S.
Lewis.
C.S. Lewis was a writer who left
atheism to follow Christ and became an apologist for Christianity. (An
apologist is one who offers an argument in defense of something controversial.
Basically, be spoken in defense of Christianity.)
In a treatise on apologetics,
Lewis stated, “One of the great difficulties is to keep before the audience’s
mind the question of Truth. They always think you are recommending
Christianity not because it is true but because it is good.”*
C. S. Lewis then declared, “One
must keep on pointing out that Christianity is a statement which, if false, is
of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it
cannot be is moderately important.”*
God’s truth is of infinite
importance. As Kevin mentioned on Sunday
night in our study, God’s truth is invaluable. God’s truth is His word (John
17.17). God’s word is that which will furnish us to every good work (2 Timothy
3.16-17). Further, it is God’s word which is able to save our souls (James
1.21; 1 Peter 1.23).
Do you take God’s Word, His Truth
as infinitely important?
Do your actions show that God’s
Word is infinitely important in your life?
On March 26, 2019, British
Airways Flight 3271 took off from London City Airport in route to a
destination. Which destination? Well, that depends on who you ask.
All the passengers had purchased
a ticket to Dusseldorf, Germany, but the pilots, flight crew and air traffic
controllers were operating off of another flight plan. The pleasant jaunt
became tense when the plane landed in Edinburgh, Scotland. The safety of
the passengers and crew was never an issue, they just followed the wrong plan
and ended up at the wrong destination - about 520 miles from where the
passengers expected.
London City Airport apologized
via Twitter stating, “As pleasant as Edinburgh is this time of year, we’re
sorry that passengers traveling to Dusseldorf on BA3271…initially landed in the
Scottish capital.” The plane was refueled and took off again “after the
involuntary stopover in Edinburgh.” **
Such events are reminders that
you can be simultaneously sincere and wrong. When it’s a plane, you can
eventually get to your destination, but what about eternity? Each of us should
be sure we have the right guidance to get us to our destination. Your eternity
is at stake. There is no rerouting once you land in eternity.
Remember the apostle Peter’s
words, “Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling
and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.”
(2 Peter 1:10)
Are you sure of your final
destination? If so, are you following the right flight path?
Unless you are a college
basketball fan, you probably never heard of Zion Williams until February 20,
2019. Even today, you may not know who Zion Williams is, but allow me a moment
to tell you his story.
Zion is a star basketball player
for Duke University as well as one of the best college basketball players in
the country. However, on February 20, 2019, Zion Williams fell to the court on
Duke’s first possession of their game vs. rival North Carolina. Zion’s Nike shoe fell apart. It literally had
a blowout.
As a result, Zion suffered a
sprained knee meaning he had to sit out the last five games of the regular season.
A further result of the incident saw Nike’s value fall by $1 billion dollars
and Duke lost the game to UNC as well as their #1 ranking. All because of a
blown-out shoe.
Sometimes we do not think about
the small things, like a shoe, until they cause an issue or are needed. Zion’s shoe failed. It did not fulfill its
intended purpose and as a result, caused pain and loss.
But what about your purpose? At
times, our purpose may seem small, but if we do not fulfill it, there is pain
and loss. It reminds me of Paul’s words in Ephesians 4.16,
“from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Each part of the church (the body
of Christ) has a purpose, are you fulfilling yours?
When you have a Bible question, where do you look?
Do you look in the Bible?
Dr. Malcolm Kendrick told an Eastern Tale that tells of the search for truth.*
A traveler passing through a village spotted a man on the ground obviously searching for something. Wanting to help, the stranger stopped and asked what he was trying to find. The man explained he’d lost his key.
Together they searched through the dust and leaves for more than an hour but found nothing. The traveler asked the old man if he was sure the key had been lost in this area. The elder told his new friend, “Oh, no! I lost it in my house.”
Irritated by the waste of time, the traveler demanded, “Then why are we looking out here?” The wise man, who used such opportunities to teach others, replied, “Because out here the light is so much better for looking.”
*The Great Cholesterol Con, Malcolm Kendrick, 2007, p. 206
Many people look where they are comfortable instead of the place to find the real answers. God has provided us all things for life and godliness (2 Peter 1.3) and the words of the Bible are written so we may believe (John 20.31).
How much time are you spending searching the Bible for life’s answers?
