Intentionality. It's the center of all healthy relationships. I know. We usually think of it as love and it is love, but what is love if not paired with intentionality. With action. I mean, Christ said it this way, "If you love me, you will obey my commandments."(John 14:15) To obey requires, first, to know Him well enough to know what He is asking of you in any given circumstance so that you are able to obey. We accomplish this much the same way as we do with other relationships that we cherish...with intentionality. In James, we are challenged to not just be hearers of the Word but doers of it. What good is it to have heard the voice of another but have never responded? Love responds. Love reaches out. Love takes risk. It's intentional in it's recognizing of need and rising up to meet those needs. Matthew 25:31,“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ God experiences love from us when we love others deliberately and well.
We can know the heart of God by purposing to be in His Word, studying who He is, what He loves, what He hates, what His expectations are of us, and what we can expect from Him. We learn His voice and the way He moves, and we can become so sensitive to His touch that we recognize His fingerprints on the pages of our life. These things happen when you spend time with Him. Then, with a conscious effort we remain in communication with Him and are always coming to Him with a heart of gratitude. Aren't we grateful for those we love? Then, should we not be showing it in tangible and audible ways?
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV). That "pray without ceasing" part is referring to the ongoing conversation that our Savior is always open to and waiting for. The "giving thanks" part is the attitude that should accompany us when we greet the Lord in prayer. The Father initiates every good thing that enters our life; "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Could we perhaps be the initiators of praise in our conversations with others about Him? Could we perhaps be the initiators of intimate conversation with Him to learn more about His heart that we might live in one accord with Him?
Relationships require intentionality. Love happens on purpose. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."(1 Corinthians 13)
As we move into this Christmas season of celebrating the greatest intentional gift of love, let's consider our own intentionality towards the Father and towards others. Perhaps, some of those frustrating family moments that get stirred up during the holidays could be settled if we purpose to selflessly love as Christ loves.
Spend some time with the Father looking at your relationship with Him and others through the lens of 1 Corinthians 13. You just might be surprised.
"Good Good Father", Chris Tomlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfJrxvVnmkE
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
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