Don't Just Be Intelligent - Be Intentional!

Just saw a couple pushing their baby's pram. Thing is, they were also wearing rollerblades and attired in full sports gear. So innovative!

Then realised that there's a lesson to be learnt here. Doing our duties (be it work or studies or serving in ministry / caregroup) doesn't mean that you have to forsake other good things like a good book / sports / contemplating / going for a walk / games / eating / hobbies, etc.

Why not combine your duties and your delights? Why not sing songs of praise to God as you do your daily work? Why not take time to contemplate as you walk back home every day? Why not use your hobbies to bring glory to God? Like making cards to bless your friends and colleagues? Baking cookies for others with a gospel message tucked inside too?

This isn't really multi-tasking. I think it's a different paradigm all together. It's called synergy. 1+1 > 2.

Do we really have to do our duties the same old way every day? I remember Sijia last time told me that faithfulness is not about merely putting our talents to work. It is also about multiplying them!

And that's the heart of a disciplemaker - in all our ordinary "secular" day-to-day work, we can actually use these "secular" things as a means to disciple others too. This requires being intentional.

It's like how Jesus saw the unwashed feet of His disciples. He didn't simply meet the need of that moment - He also used it as an opportunity to demonstrate to His disciples what true servanthood really meant - and by extension, the true nature of the Messiah: not as a power-hungry conqueror, but as the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53.

Or Jesus seeing no fruit from a fig tree that was supposed to be in season. Instead of just shrugging His shoulders and walking on, He cursed it as an illustration to His disciples to show the dangers of looking spiritual but being spiritually empty. (Cursing a tree just because it didn't have any fruit... it's really unusual. But that's our Lord. :))

Combining our daily duties to also do what we enjoy.
Using our daily duties as an opportunity to demonstrate discipleship.
Choosing to step back and think out of the box, instead of settling for "it's always been done this way!"
All this requires intentionality.

Intentionality is essential to making a breakthrough, and to prevent getting buried alive in daily drudgery.