Purposeful Intention

Today you have been given one thousand four hundred and forty minutes. Now let us subtract the minutes we sleep, eat, and work. Now take away the minutes we use for any number of tasks that easily eat up a good portion of our time. If we carefully calculated the minutes and measured them as moments, how many moments did we live this day serving with purposeful intention? To live with purposeful intention is to act with the intent that our action will cause a certain result.

Often within the body of the church there exists many souls who serve dutifully in a great number of areas. It is exciting when we first begin to serve in the church for through servanthood we experience the great blessing of community. It is this community that often fuels us bringing much meaning to our lives. There are some that thrive under the pressure, enjoying the buffet of servanthood by offering a little to this and a little to that. But unfortunately, after a period of time, many experience the great fallout of servanthood which is more commonly known as burnout.

But when we have sampled the buffet of servanthood for too long, the excitement we first experienced becomes a mere lingering of nostalgia for what was. We have forgotten why we began to serve in the first place, and the community we once loved makes us feel somewhat disconnected. We have overstuffed ourselves on commitment and feel the need to push ourselves away from the table yet we feel completely unsatisfied.

Romans 12:4-9, For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

But here is the truth about the body of the church: we are all different parts of the body bringing to the table different gifts, talents, and abilities. And for each of us there surely does exist a ministry or two that are indeed our right fit. But when we use the precious moments of our lives serving in too many areas, we are not giving our very best to any particular mission. Jesus desires for us to use our gifts wisely so that we can reach our greatest potential. By doing so we will be able to identify our purpose and fulfill our calling allowing Jesus to be the One who completely satisfies us.

Now is the time for us to seek wisdom and understand the truth that there is a place for each and every one of us within the church, and that there exists a great need for us specifically for God created us that way. We were created with a genuine purpose that He desires to fulfill. Now is the time for us to ask ourselves what it is that we are passionate to do, and how we can accomplish it through acts of servanthood. Many live each day with a limited amount of moments available to serve the church so it is of great importance that those moments be lived with purposeful intention.

Perhaps it is as simple as being able to set up chairs early on a Sunday morning, but to every individual who sits in those chairs it is an act of servanthood that holds great value. Next time you sit upon a chair in service, remember that with purposeful intention strong hands graced that chair so that someone who was hungry to learn God’s Word would not experience great discomfort.

Father, help me to know what specific gifts and abilities I have to serve your kingdom and where it is I should use them. May I use my moments to serve You, and serve others, with purposeful intention. In Jesus name, amen.

 

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