The Intentionality of My Faith

Over the last few months, I have been thinking about the intentionality of my faith. What do I mean by intentionality?

The term derives from the Latin verb intendo, meaning to point (at) or aim (at) or extend (toward). The term was dusted off a bit in the 19th century by the philosopher and psychologist Franz Brentano; he, being one of the most important predecessors of the school of Phenomenology used it to lay claim that "intentionality is the defining distinction between the mental and the physical; all and only mental phenomena exhibit intentionality."

I was thinking about the few things I do well, and I noticed... there was an intentionality to each of them. I am not one who does very many things well so it was fairly easy to determine that they all have a common theme... intentionality. I try to keep up on the latest education theory, and I think I do a decent job on that even though there are many who will tell you otherwise. But, my point is this: the reason I do it fairly well is because I am intentional about reading and keeping abreast of certain websites, magazines, associations and the like in order to keep current. I do not causally do this, but instead, I am intentional in my actions in this area.

Thinking about the things of faith, the areas where I have grown have been areas soaked with intentionality... scripture memory, discipleship, and teaching are just a few of the many elements that God has used in my life to move me forward in my walk. Quiet times and accountability groups are, again, areas of life that require intentionality in order to be effective and impacting.

So, where am I going in this diatribe? Simple, as men and women, we are sinful and in need of a savior. There is not question that our default is sin and selfishness, so my question is this: how come there are Christian leaders actually moving us away from an intentional approach to life? Jesus our Lord asks for our intentional approach to Him in the gospels when he instructs us to "beware of the false prophets" and "enter the narrow gate" and in chapter eight He gives, in my opinion, one of the most intentional statements ever... "follow me and let the dead bury their own dead."

I have determined that excellence requires discipline, and to be disciplined is to be excellent so... my faith must have an intentionality to it. It must have some disciplined thoughts and actions to my faith and be intentional in more and more areas of it; for example memorizing scripture and prayer are two areas that require intentional thoughts and actions to accomplish the goal. What about your faith? Should you be intentional in it? In what areas? It is a worthy question to examine. Blessings!