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)
When you think of freedom, what comes to your mind?
Our nation of freedom?
Spiritual freedom?
Without the freedom in Christ, not one of us is truly free.
Sin is a trap that ensnares us for a lifetime of physical punishment bearing the wrath of eternal consequences, but the blood of the Lamb of God (John 1.29) is that which gives us the opportunity to achieve freedom. The opportunity is ever present, but each individual must clothe himself/herself with the Savior (Galatians 3.27).
Today, the question for Christians may not be “do we have freedom” but a greater question of “what do we do with our freedom?”
Each person can recognize freedom, but the actions one takes as a result of freedom truly makes freedom appreciated. Without actions as a result of freedom, we are still spinning our wheels searching for the answer that only resides in God’s words to mankind, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free” (John 8.32).
The truth of the Savior is the truth of the Father. The Son seeking to glorify the Father while on earth (and be glorified Himself) prays the powerful words of John 17. In the text of that beautiful prayer Jesus said, “Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth.” (John 17.17)
The Savior asked His Father to sanctify them, to set them apart by the truth. As a result of truth, freedom is found in the words of truth – God’s word.
As a Christian, you have found freedom and truth, but what are you doing with that freedom and truth today? Are you sharing the message of breaking free from the bondage of sin to glorify your Father? Are you sharing the message with those still ensnared by sins dreadful hold?
While we recognize freedom, let us take action on that freedom and share it with the world!
“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2.16; ESV)
A few years ago I ran across a small article on the California Redwood trees that intrigued me. Here is one statement form the article:
“The huge redwood trees in California are considered the largest things on earth and the tallest trees in the world. Some of them are three hundred feet high and over 2,500 years old. One would think that trees so large would have a tremendous root system reaching down hundreds of feet into the earth. The redwoods actually have a very shallow system of roots, but they all intertwine. They are locked to each other. When the storms come or the winds blow, the redwoods stand. They are locked to each other, and they don’t stand alone, for all the trees support and protect each other.”
The church is like the redwood trees; or maybe, better still, the redwood trees are like the church. When the storms of life rage against us, we reach out to one another to help bear the burden of the storm. Like the intertwined roots of a redwood tree, our lives are connected by the Savior, Jesus Christ.
As Christians, we want to follow the pattern of the early church because they were the starting point to where we are as a family. When they met on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus, they bonded instantly. They saw a need to assist one another as well as continuing in the apostles teaching (Acts 2:42-47).
The early church grew because of the continuation of the early church in the things the apostles taught them and I believe one of those things was the unity of the church. Jesus prayed for unity, because He wants everyone united, but also, because the bond of Christians is what helps us to achieve the peace that passes understanding.
Let us unite together to begin to change the world!
I am sure each of us know the importance of Bible Study, but what have others said about Bible Study?
“If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, he will be in the last place the remainder of the day.”—E. M. Bounds
“Wind up thy heart towards heaven in the beginning of the day, and it will go the better all the day after. He that loseth his heart in the morning in the world, will hardly find it again all the day. O! Christians, let God have your morning meditations.”—Thomas Watson
“The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day.”—Henry Ward Beecher
“If I have had any success in life, I attribute it to the habit of giving the first two hours of each day to Bible study and prayer.”—Lord Earl Cairns, Lord Chancellor of England
How will your words be remembered regarding Bible Study?
Several years ago I ran across this poem and have found it to be a reminder of how quickly life happens. Let us use today and contact those around us to lift them up and see how we can assist them.
Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end;
Yet days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone,
And I never see my old friend’s face.
For life is a swift and terrible race.
He knows I like him just as well
As in the days when I rang his bell
And he rang mine. We were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men:
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
“Tomorrow,” I say, “I will call on Jim
just to show that I am thinking of him.”
But tomorrow comes—and tomorrow goes,
And the distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner!—yet miles away …
“Here’s a telegram, Sir,”… “Jim died today.”
And that’s what we get and deserve in the end:
Around the corner, a vanished friend.
—Charles Hanson Towne
“For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14; ESV)
The spiritual life of a Christian is never stagnant; if it is not growing, then it is decreasing. There is no middle ground where a Christian’s spiritual life can remain at one point, there must be movement. This movement is determined by our actions. Peter writes of the spiritual maturing process…
“For this very reason, “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1.5-8; ESV)
As a member of the body of Christ, when we are growing spiritually it will naturally affect others. When we grow we begin sharing the burdens of others (Galatians 6.1; Romans 15.1), we edify one another (Hebrews 3.13), we teach others (Titus 2) and we begin sharing the word with others because we cannot help but speak of Jesus (Acts 4.12).
Because our spiritual growth affects others, here is a list below of “Four Marks of a Maturing Congregation” for your consideration.
What would you add to the list?
Four Marks of a Maturing Congregation:
Fellowship – Members know each other outside of Sundays and Wednesday.
Assistance – Because the members are bearing one another’s burdens, have knowledge of each other, and progress towards the same goal, assistance is given without a shocking announcement to the congregation. (Galatians 6.1; Romans 15.1)
Attendance – The numbers game is a difficult one to play with attendance, but a maturing congregation will have high attendance based on membership because people are coming (1) to worship and study God’s word, (2) to edify the brothers and sisters and (3) to continue on their spiritual process of growing closer to God. (Note: Hebrews 10.24-25 – Remember verse 24 is the beginning and reason for verse 25)
Finances – The church in Macedonia gave “beyond their means of their own accord” (2 Corinthians 8.3). The church in Macedonia knew how much they could give and they gave beyond it. I believe this is a sign of maturity because the Macedonians knew there was a greater purpose to finances than physical stuff.
