INTENTIONAL OR ACCIDENTAL

I Was Just Thinking About - - -

Why do people have a Bible? Why do people attend a visible Church on occasion? Why do people want to be included in some visible Church or religious group? Why are mega-churches seemingly popular and growing? What is the basis for moral values and ethical choices? How does a culture or society become what it is? Are these, and other areas of life, a result of intentional choices or accidental occurrences? These and other thoughts began to resonate as I read the review of John Maxwell’s latest book released this past Tuesday (October 6) entitled: "Intentional Living: Choosing A Life That Matters." His own shared testimony states: “Living intentionally will motivate you to start asking questions and begin prioritizing whatever is important to you. That's what it did for me. I began by asking how I could be successful. When I had begun to achieve some success, I realized that I needed to be asking questions about significance. Can I make a difference? Whom should I help? How can I help them? How can I add value to them?”

Each of us represents a person who possesses tremendous potential. If each of us lived up to that standard of possibility and potential, it would revolutionize not only one’s personal life but other lives with whom one has any meaningful and purposeful relationship. The key to realizing this significance and potential is to reply as the disciples did when they heard these words of Jesus Christ: “Come! Follow Me! I will make you…” The words of Jesus were clear, precise and spoken with authority. The response of those who were being called as disciples was immediate: “At once they left their nets and followed Him” (Matthew 4:20). Inherent in their following Jesus Christ and learning from Him are the words Jesus spoke to larger groups of people during His ministry (John 8:31-32), “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” These words and actions force one to see that spiritual lives are to be lived intentionally and not accidentally.

The interviewer and reviewer of John Maxwell’s book shares his personal reflections when writing the book, “In Intentional Living, Maxwell discusses his struggles with personal flaws such as selfishness and opens up about the role his faith plays in his life of significance. My life is flawed, yet I believe I need to share it with you in a way I never have before because I don't know of any better way to teach you how to embark upon intentional living, Maxwell declares early on in the book. I believe that if you know my story and how it unfolded, it will help you to write your own story of significance. It will empower you to lead yourself to a life that matters.” Sometimes when one shares his personal flaws or foibles, there can be a degree of risk. A group where being transparent was thought to be safe, and in which I participated years ago, there was a topic being discussed where I shared my own personal struggles of a sense of insufficiency (inadequacy) for different situations that occur in ministry. A fellow-minister present for whom I had the highest esteem looked at me and said: “How disappointing! I thought you had your act together.” This brother in Christ continued to be a good friend throughout his life but his response caught me by surprise and added a safeguard in my life that I was hoping could’ve been removed.

There are three passages of Scripture that have been encouraging and sustaining for my wife and me. (1) For Confidence - Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…” (2) For Faith and Prayer - Isaiah 65:24, “"It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.” And (3) For Assurance of God’s Faithfulness – Psalm 37:23-27, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread…” Are you living the intentional Christian life, or a life that is more accidental and haphazard? Consider these things with me.