Intentional

Over the past 3 1/2 years or so, I've heard the word "intentional" throughout the walls of our church and now, also, within the walls of my marriage. Pastor Kerri and Stovall truly believe that with God and our relationship with Him, we need to be intentional in the things we do. I looked up the word and this is what it said...
"anything planned, done on purpose"
You mean, I have to plan to spend time with God? Plan to go out of my way for Him? I won't always want to do it? I won't always have this overwhelming joy to serve and worship and love Him or His people? I don't believe that....
And during the first year of being a true Christian-i really didn't have to be intentional. God's grace over my life (even when I didn't know it) was as thick as pea soup. Between mission trips and Christian fellowship, I was always amped-never low or questioned why...never really had to practice being intentional.
But now, as I ask God to grow me closer to Him, build my spiritual maturity, and to test me-I'm realizing how important being intentional is. He's opening a lot of closets I've locked up from my past and Satan wants me to dwell on them. Satan wants me to "poor me" the whole deal and never grow past it. That's where being intentional comes in. I can't soak in the hurt-I can't choose to let these seeds of bitterness harvest in my heart, that's when it overflows into others. If i wasn't intentional, if I didn't plan on spending time with Him, reading His word, or serving His people, I wouldn't do it-the hurt, resentment and business of life would definitely get in the way.
Same with my marriage.
WHAT!!!!!?
Yeah, even with my husband.
I can't just love him or serve him when I feel like it. We all know we can't display the Lord's supernatual love in our own power! Jesus is intentional with us, and that's just one more way to relect Him. Planning to love and serve ANYONE for a purpose-so they may feel God's love through us, and even experience His presence while they are with us.
Have you ever known someone that you could just tell something was different about them, even set apart from other Christians? It's like you could almost feel a strange amount of caring in their voices, or when you looked in their eyes-you knew you wanted what they had? Believe it or not-that's Jesus. I want to be that kind of mirror.
Lord, help all of us to be more intentional. This world tells us to just worry and care about ourselves and to help others only when it benefits us. Jesus, I pray you break that lie within me. Help me to plan and pursue others and your kingdom with a purpose, not only when I feel like it.
I can feel the process of Him humbling me as i pray those words. We aren't above eachother-just like Paul writes throughout Corinthians-we've all been there and done that-we need to intentionally see people as true brothers and sisters, no matter what hurt or harm they've caused. No matter what they've been through.
We need to have our mindset on eternity.