Intensely Intentional

Yesterday I wrote about my legacy “season.” It has been a lot of fun to talk about Legacy in so many contexts this spring. But as I wrote that post it occurred to me that if we are to truly be “Legacy People” it has to be a consistent pattern that permeates our entire life, not just something we do for a season.

I am reminded of what Paul said to Timothy: “…be ready in season and out of season…” (2 Timothy 4:2).

Well, that pretty well covers all of my time…I am either in season or out of season all the time!

When I think about leaving a legacy – and as you know by now, I think about it a lot – I think about this:

If we are to be “legacy people” we have to be intentional about it.

What does it mean to be intentional?

I use this word a lot, so I decided I ought to look it up to make sure I was using it correctly. Here’s what I found:

Intentional: “Resulting from purpose; Deliberate”

Then I looked up the root word – Intention.

Intention: “Purpose, either ultimate or immediate; aim; goal. The will, design, or resolve to do or refrain from doing something.”

Paul was an intentional leader. In fact we could say that he was “intensely intentional.”

Looking at these passages from his letters we can see just how intensely intentional he was:

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25)

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

“You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

Here we see Paul’s intensity: “…exhorting … encouraging … imploring.”

We also see his purpose, his intent: “…so that we would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

If we are to be legacy people, we too need to be Intensely Intentional.

Are you intentional?

Are you intensely intentional?