If you are reading this on Sunday Morning, October 18, after 8:30am when this document will post, please know that I am praying for you.
Around the world today people continue to study the books of the Acts of the Apostles using a series of bible studies and handouts I posted a few years back. For each of you I pray for the same power of God the Holy Spirit infused into the lives of Peter, James, and John to stand strong in their faith, and boldly preach the Good News of salvation in Christ the risen Lord.
For those of you who are tired, depressed, or lonely today, I pray for you to know the power of the presence of Jesus Christ in your life right this minute, wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, He is present with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is your strength. He is your comfort. He is your peace. Say his name… Jesus!
For those of you who are grieving from a death of a loved one or friend, I pray for you to know the peace of God in these trying days. The pain of grief is a real thing. But Jesus too knows this pain. He stood over the city of Jerusalem and wept tears of grief for those who refused to believe in Him as Messiah. The pain of your grief is near to His heart. The psalmist says that he captures all your tears and stores them up. He sees you. He will ease your pain of grief over time. I’m praying that you will trust Him more today than ever before in your life. Feel Him holding your hand. Know that His loving arms are wrapped around you.
For those of you who are suffering from illness small or great, I am praying that the Great Healer, Jehovah Rapha, will heal you, and restore life unto you. I pray it selfishly. I pray it because I know with absolute certainty that it will bring Jesus great glory to see you fully restored.
For the brothers and sisters around the world today I am praying that Jesus will move into your life today in powerful and tangible ways. That when the Spirit moves, there will only be one explanation.
God did this. To Him alone be all honor, and glory, and praise.
The original article “Living Intentionally” was a response to the question prompt “What’s a personal mantra or philosophy you live by?” Since most of my responses in life are first spiritual then material, the article focused on the fact that living a spiritual life intentionally doesn’t happen by accident. I have to choose it. And so do you.
There is a key to intentional living that is so obvious, it seems obscured in its simplicity. In order to live intentionally, a person has to pay attention. The most common response to this statement is probably, “Well, duh?!” But let’s not hastily dismiss what I’m saying. Paying attention is more than just general awareness of my surroundings.
Now comes the golf metaphor. Wait!!! I suspect many of you reading this article might feel tempted to move on at this point. Please, stay with me. If nothing else you’ll read a humorous if not interesting story from my life. At worst, you’ll spend a couple of minutes reading. Nothing ventured, nothing gained…
I am what I like to call a competent golfer. I belong to a league called the Senior Men’s Golf Association (SRMGA) at a local golf course near where I live. By near I mean a 30 minute drive, so it’s not like I can hop in my Jeep and be there in 5 minutes. I have to plan my mornings. I have to allow time to stop for food. I don’t play well on an empty stomach. After stopping for food I have to allow for traffic. Which, granted, at 6:30 in the morning you wouldn’t think would be a problem, but you’d be wrong. Anything can happen at that time of day, heading into rush hour.
My plans to awake at a certain hour allow plenty of time for the food and traffic contingencies. Since I like to warm up on the driving range before my competitive round of golf, and the groups all tee off at 8:00am, I need to arrive at the golf course no later than 7:15am. This allows me plenty of time to practice, then putt in the practice putting area, and be safely in my golf cart and ready to play by 8:00am.
Now, there is one critical step required to ensure these plans are successful. I have to set the alarm on my iPhone and get up on time. One overlooked tiny little detail, regardless of how well I’ve planned my day, can wield incredible havoc to my very intentional plan for golf. If I don’t pay attention when I go to bed the night before, I might set the alarm on my iPhone to PM instead of AM. Go ahead and laugh. But I’ve done it before. Worse, if I don’t remember to set my alarm at all, the same disaster can occur. No golf.
Here’s the thing. The spiritual intentional life requires the same sort of attention to detail as simple as my setting an alarm to play golf. Consider the words of the Wise One from the old testament. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways know Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
There are times in this life when all of us are distracted by whats going on around us. A quarrel with a friend. The loss of a job. The grief at the death of a loved one. An unexpected report from the doctor. These and a thousand other things can make us lose our focus and not pay attention to the truths presented in God’s Word before us. When the world seems spinning out of control, pay attention to God’s voice. Hear God the Son speaking in your ear to your heart and your mind.
“My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.” John 14:27
This seems simple doesn’t it? While it may be a simple thought, it is not an easy thing to do. The grief, the pain, the loss, the depression, the uncertainty of the future, all these noisy feelings seem much louder and stronger than the words of Jesus. But they aren’t!!! They aren’t louder. They aren’t stronger. But you have to pay attention to hear Him instead of the voices of the world beating like drums day and night in your head.
How do you find this peace?
Pay attention. Heed the good news! Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to give you life abundant, a peace that surpasses the world’s understanding, and life everlasting with Him in Heaven when you trust in Him as your personal savior. Trading the angst of this old life, for the promise of life with Jesus, is the best choice a person could ever make.
But… you have to pay attention.
If you would like to know more about making this choice please contact me by email so we can chat.
When I move from intellectually understanding or knowing God cares about me personally, to the application of this absolute truth, immediately something inside my being changes. The transformation seems elusive at times, and clear as day in other moments of my journey here.
When I begin my day with coffee, email, a walk with the dog, then browsing the news headlines… by the time I begin living, I’m a caffeine induced, conglomeration of thoughts and feelings, or anxious nerves trying to decide which way to go, or what to do next.
On the other hand, when I begin my day with Psalm 25:4 my whole life that particular day is a completely different story. Listen to the words of the psalmist, echoing the prayer of Moses from Exodus 33… “Make your ways known to me, LORD; teach me your paths.”
What I realize on those days when I intentionally invite God into my life, those days filled with their own list of trials or tribulations, joy or pain, grief or happiness… what I realize is that God doesn’t force me to listen to Him. He doesn’t force His will upon mine. What the Sovereign Creator of the universe does is wait patiently for me to ask for His guidance.
Then I realize, and hear, the prophetic nature of the psalmist words as they look forward to Jesus saying to His followers, “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6
Jesus, God the Son, came here to do exactly what I’m asking. “Show me Your ways LORD.” In fact the only way I can truly know that I am in the will of God, is by trusting in God the Father, who sent God the Son. On top of a mountain, when the Glory and Majesty of Jesus was revealed in just a glimpse, the voice from heaven proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” Matthew 17:5
So I listen to Jesus and I hear Him say, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.” John 14:26
These Scriptures bring clarity to how I am commanded to live intentionally. I was created to be a mirror, reflecting only the glory of God in all that I do. The only way to do this is to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, since He is the only Way to Life. When I trust in God the Son, He instills inside me God the Holy Spirit as my guide for daily living.
The more I ask God to teach me, lead me, guide me… the more God the Holy Spirit can use me to reflect the Glory of Jesus! Those days when I’m more consumed in my own thoughts and ways and means, God the Holy Spirit waits patiently for me to ask for His help. When I do He helps me. When I don’t, He waits. And waits. And waits.
Living intentionally doesn’t happen by accident. I have to choose it. So do you.
