We are four months into a year of being intentional. I think it is a good time for us to stop and evaluate where we are in our pursuit of asking God to use our lives (individually and collectively as a body) to make a difference in this world. I want to remind us of our three prayers for 2018 and use them as a test to see where we are in our intentional journey.

Lord, help me to be intentional in my life by seeking you and your plan. How intentional have you been in seeking God’s plan for you? Is your life filled with your pursuit of your hopes and dreams, or are you daily seeking after what God wants for you? Does your life display a focus on self, or on surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Who are you living for? An intentional life is a life seeking God’s plan. It believes that there is more pleasure and joy in God than in the things of the world. It is a life that believes the decisions and choices we make matter and therefore wants to live in accordance with God’s word.

Lord, help me to be intentional in my life by making a difference in this world by joining you in your kingdom work. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The intentional life knows that God is at work building his kingdom here on earth, and wants us to be part of it. It is convinced that the things of this world are temporal and that the things of God are eternal. It sees that every blessing we have comes from God and has been given to be a blessing to others. You are building a kingdom today, it’s either yours or God’s. Whose kingdom are you building? Can you point to a place where you have seen God at work and are joining him there?

Lord, help me to be intentional with my life by engaging people with the hope of your gospel. The intentional life knows there are people who need Jesus and are willing to identify who they are and engage them with the message of hope found in the gospel. This is not church speak, this is a kingdom heart and mind set that is serious about living on mission. This is not a guilt tactic, but an honest question. You have had four months since the year began, who have you identified and engaged with the gospel? God wants to use you. The results are not up to us, but we are called to be faithful. Faithfulness happens when we are intentional about God’s mission.

Let us continue to pray and may we continue to seek together to be an intentional people. God will honor this and use us to build his kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.

For His glory and your joy,

Pastor Charlie