Life Ministries

Intentional Living
Scripture - 2 Peter 1:2 “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  For this very reason, make every effort to “add” to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to know-ledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive….”

    This is what I call “information”. Whether it’s from God’s Word or any other book, or any other source it’s simply information. Even a recipe card is a piece of information. We receive information constantly, daily, if not a minute to minute basis. That being said;

#1- How we comprehend and process that information will determine our reaction to it.
#2- Our reaction then, in turn, will determine whether or not that information affects our lives.
#3- The extent that it affects our life will be the determining factor as to how we live, and 
       perhaps even how long we live.
On top of all that, How we react to certain information will be influenced by the value we place on the information in conjunction with how much value we place on the area of our lives it affects. For instance; if we read or hear information concerning a health issue, the value we place on the information…and the value we place on the area of our physical health, will determine how we process it and whether or not we apply it. The problem, in my opinion, is that our value system is way out of whack and out of balance.
    For example; We may “say” that we value our physical health, but what are we doing with the information we have received over the years as it concerns our own personal health? What kinds of foods do we tend to eat? How much do we really exercise?  And what does that really say about our values? (Believe me when I say that I am looking in the mirror…) Again, we may say that we place great value on family and our relationships but how much time and energy do we really give to building strong, loving relational ties through the wealth of information we have available to us? Or, we might say that we place great value on our faith, but what are we doing, with all the information we have, to cultivate and grow our faith?  As it concerns the scripture here; I think we must ask “Are we making any effort at all to add anything to our faith?” I think you are getting the point. We need to motivate ourselves to be more intentional.
    There is some information that, even though good and true, goes against the grain of our will which I call our “wanna”.   Somewhere in the process it gets thrown out or purposely misplaced because even though true…and we know it’s the right thing to do…we just don’t “wanna” do it! 
    There is something scripture says about that…The first is that those who know what is right and true but refuse to apply it are “fools”…Someone once said; “Every time I feel like exercising, I lie down until the feeling goes away!” (I think it was me!) Even though we know exercise is good, and that we should, we just don’t “wanna”!..We have a “Lackawanna!” – That was the name of a Street in my home town.
    Remember I said that even a recipe card is information. God’s Word is much like a cake recipe. Everything you need to bake a cake is in the recipe. If you follow the recipe, and add all the ingredients - in their proper balance or quantity, the end result is a delicious cake. But, suppose you wanted a perfect chocolate cake and decided to leave out the chocolate…What would happen?  Or suppose you think there are too many ingredients, so you leave out the eggs! - You don’t “wanna” add eggs! - Eggs are just too messy! What would the result be?  What if you added too many eggs or too much of any certain ingredient? It surely would certainly change and in some cases, even spoil the outcome. The same is true in life. Life must have a proper balance of the right ingredients!
    There needs to be a balance…But, for some people, their balance is out of whack. Let me explain; Some are so obsessed with exercise, they neglect their relationships. Or, they are so obsessed with religious or church or spiritual things, that they get out of balance in other areas of their life. Listen, Everything…Everything…. EVERYTHING!…we need for LIFE… and GODLINESS…says the scripture, but then again, it is only inform-ation…But, the value we place on it will determine whether or not it will affect our lives. 
    Many Christians know and believe the Bible to be truly the “authoritative Word of God”… yet, it doesn’t seem to affect some areas of their lives…Why? It is all about “intentionally” doing some things that will determine the course…and may even change the course of your life. It’s about doing something, even if we don’t “wanna”!  It is really about each one of us taking control of our lives and determining our own happiness and well being, rather than allowing our lives to be controlled by other people, circumstances, or forces.      
“IF YOU ALWAYS DO WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE…YOU WILL ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS GOT!”
        Let me conclude by saying this; When my wife bakes a “crazy cake” I know exactly what it is going to taste like…I know the texture…I know the outcome…Why? (because the recipe doesn’t change.) The information is always the same… and, as long as she applies the information in the right balance and quantity, it’s “crazy cake”.  What is the goal of baking a cake? The goal is to enjoy it or eat it! 
    Now, let me ask this; “How many here have applied the information; put all the ingredients together in the right balance and quantity; and your goal was to eat the whole cake yourself?  No, you bake the cake so others can share in the joy of the outcome!  Matthew 5:15  “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to every-one in the house.”  There is not only personal benefit in the right application of information, but there is mutual benefit as well. I think that’s pretty good information!