The Best Advice for Living Intentionally Today

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Are you living intentionally every day?

Rev and I often shared the saying: “I want to LIVE every day ’til I die.”

We felt that if God gave us a day, by His grace and with His help, we wanted to embrace it and live it purposefully.

I used to tie my purpose to my “jobs” … the things I did and how I defined myself. You know, the labels of being a wonderful wife, great mom, and good teacher.

Maybe you can relate.

But what if for some reason you and I could no longer do those things, would we still be able to live intentionally? What about having an illness or disability—what then?

Although Rev had limited mobility and was confined to the bedroom for the last 10 months of his life, he never stopped living intentionally.

He actively believed that real living meant that God had a purpose for every day he was given.

So, living intentionally means living our God-given purpose … a purpose that goes beyond identity or abilities into the deep roots of God’s love? Maybe living intentionally is as basic as loving God and others well.

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Mark 12:29–31

Imagine what could happen if every follower of Jesus had the following mission statement…

I will make it my purpose to SEEK the Lord through His Word and prayer growing in wisdom and knowledge of God and His will. I will KNOW, LOVE, and TRUST Him with all I am because He created me, saved me, and gives me everything I need. With God’s help, I will love intentionally and care for others for His glory.

Because…

Living intentionally = Loving intentionally.

However, we don’t want to toss the word “LOVE” around carelessly.

We know that even when we want to trust and obey God’s commands to love … our sinful selfish natures get in the way. We don’t love God or others perfectly. We don’t even love ourselves as we should.

That’s why it’s important to “be still” … to SEEK and KNOW the Lord. The more time we spend with Him the more we will LOVE and TRUST Him with a desire to OBEY.

God promises that the closer we are to Him the more intentionally we will live.

The Amplified Bible puts Solomon’s words like this…

Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him], And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].

Proverbs 16:3

Let’s pray…

A Prayer for Living Intentionally

Father God, thank you for the gift of life. Please forgive me for failing to acknowledge and fully appreciate the blessing of every moment You give. It’s so easy to get distracted by the world around me. It’s easy to become self-focused when life isn’t going as I want. I’m so sorry.

Please give me all I need to live intentionally. May I become so mindful of Your presence that I pray without ceasing, and spend time in Your Word growing deep roots in Your love. With Your Spirit’s help, may I live for Your glory by loving as You command.

Because Your love is so great that You sent Jesus to save us and to be the perfect example of living intentionally. Through Him, we KNOW Your character and the depth of Your love. You draw us close and give us everything we need to love You and love others.

I give myself to You, Lord. Please help me live and love as You desire. Amen.

Jesus said…

“I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

John 13:34–35

And C. S. Lewis wrote…

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”

“Do not waste time bothering whether you love your neighbor; act as if you did.”

God’s plan for His children is that we will show the world how to live intentionally by loving intentionally. That’s living and loving like Jesus.

A bonus blessing is that living intentionally and loving well fills our days with God’s all-sufficient grace and hard-to-understand peace … things that nothing and no one else can provide.

God is love and intentional in everything He does. We can trust Him and we can trust His plans for us.

May the Lord be with you and bless you as you make living intentionally your goal.

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