Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this (2 Timothy 2:7, NIV).
If we want to grow strong in grace we need to be making disciples, and that is something that happens only if we are intentional about it.
After all, love is intentional isn’t it? Can you haphazardly love your wife or husband? No marriage is going to work for long when we are not intentional about focusing on that relationship, or intentionally learning how to relate and communicate as a team, or intentionally cultivating that love and making sure the atmosphere is right for it to grow. In the same way, can you unintentionally love God with all your heart, soul, and mind? I don’t think so!
Being intentional does not mean being complicated. There is nothing terribly complicated about planting seeds, and then cultivate, water, fertilize, and weed. It is not easy perhaps. But it is not complicated.
Let me give you two things to do that will go a long way to helping you be more intentional about living a lifestyle of discipleship.
Ask yourself at the beginning of your day:
- What can I do to love God today?
- How can I incarnate God’s love to someone or some group of people today?
- Who can I help in their walk with God today? What could I do to do that?
At the end of the day ask yourself:
- How did God show me His love today? Thank Him for it.
- Did I do what I intended for loving God, loving others, and discipling? Remember is there is a difference between intentions and being intentional. You can’t be intentional without the intent, but if the good intention doesn’t often follow through we need to ask ourselveswhy.
- How did I work on and show my love for God today? Where there ways I improved? How could I do better tomorrow?
- How did I love others as myself today? Where there ways I improved? How could I do better tomorrow?
- Who did I disciple today and how? Where there ways I improved? How could I do better tomorrow?
- Are there any lessons I learned or questions I have from today to ask my spiritual mother or father?
Remember the goal here is not to beat yourself up. The goal is not to compare yourself to anyone else. The goal is not perfection. The purpose of taking the time to ask ourselves questions like these is to grow a habit of intentionally living a focused life of discipleship. To keep us on mission. To keep us running on the right path and in the right direction. To keep us living in such a way that we encourage growing and maturing in the grace of Jesus Christ.
This is important because one day, each of us is going to find ourselves in Paul’s shoes. None of us will be here forever, and unless Christ comes back before we go, the disciples we leave behind are going to have to get along without us. This is the mindset Paul was in when he wrote to Timothy,
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8, NIV).
Paul was a good soldier.
He was a good athlete.
He was a good farmer.
He was all that because of the grace of God, but he was not passive in that grace; he intentionally fought, ran, and cultivated in that grace.
Discipleship is intentional.
Learning To Be Full Of Grace And Truth. 