Living an intentional life

This week I’ve been thinking about what it means to live an intentional life. It’s relatively easy for life to happen to us, for each day to flow into the next, without us giving much consideration for how we might might live best. Ocassionally we take time out to plan our holidays, our education, our careers. Yet how much consideration do we give to considering how we might live as Christians and intentionally grow into the ever-increasing likeness of our Saviour, Jesus Christ? Some questions to ponder:

• What gifts has God given me, and how can I use them?
• What sin is God convicting me of, and how can I make steps to kill it?
• What people has God placed in my life, and how can I love them?
• What gaps are there in my knowledge, and how can I fill them?
• What doubts do I have in my faith, and how can I assuage them?

Don Carson in ‘For the Love of God’ (Volume 2, Jan 23), explains the necessity of considering our ways:

‘‘People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, and obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.’‘

Next week when you arrive at church you will receive a calendar with the next three months of events and activities at church. Please take a moment to prayerfully consider your involvement in these. We have limited time, and seemingly unlimited opportunities. Let’s be prayerful, and intentional in what we choose to do and not do, so that in all things, Jesus might get the glory. To bring to your attention five upcoming events:

• Hot Topic Night (19 July). The topic is dating, and the night will explore how to date, who to date, and how to pursue dating and singleness in a manner that glorifies God.
• ‘10 Things I’ve Learned About Life’ (24 July). A women’s event, and a chance to hear what God has taught other women in their lives, and to share fellowship with women from across our services.
• Weekend Extra (11 September). A morning to expand our knowledge, grow our skills and be stretched in our thinking. Choose two elective seminars on topics covering Christian skills, ethics, thinking theologically, and church history.
• Marriage Course (27 September). A worthy investment in your marriage, that will not only benefit you individually and as a couple, but also serve to strengthen our community and society through you.
• I Heart Kirribilli (28 August to 4 September). Not just an art exhibition and prize, but an opportunity to meet those in the Kirribilli community, to share what we love about the community, and introduce people to Jesus. For more information, please visit www.iheartkirribilli.com or speak with Hayley Neal.

For the honour of Jesus, who shed his blood so that we might have life,
Steve Kryger (Media and Communications Pastor)