Good intentions


Edmund Burke famously said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."   Those 'good men' do not intentionally go out of their way to make evil triumph, but the problem is that they don't have any intention at all.

 I've seen in my own journey, that I never desire or plan to let my quiet time slip, or my prayer life dwindle, but I do fail to be intentional and the result is the same.

 In life, everything tends towards chaos; order does not naturally happen from disorder, but we have become new creatures, and we can be intentional to change this principal in our lives.

 If we have no goals or intentions our flesh will gratify itself and will lean towards things that are not spiritually life-giving. 

 I'm not talking about making New Year's Resolutions, I've found that to be as beneficial as a glass hammer, but I am talking about being intentional and deliberate in our walk with God.  I am always mindful, that our nature leans towards rules and works rather than relationship, but that doesn't mean we should do nothing!

 Matthew 6:33 says "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"
'Seek' here is a very deliberate thing; it really means 'to seek with the intention of finding'.  In other words it is an intentional act. Interestingly,  the word used for 'seek' is "zeteo" is also used as a Hebraism meaning 'to worship God'.  It's alternate meaning is to plot!!  All these definitions, are very intentional!  To plot means "to design or decide a series of events".

 We need to be practically intentional about relationships.  Whether that is with God or with people, relationships don't build themselves.  We invest time in them to make them grow.  

 This week (and onwards), let's be intentional about building our relationship with God.  Devise a plan for worship and ask for God's grace to walk in that plan.   

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