What Is Your Intent?

I mentioned in yesterday’s blog about my being a student of the Pentecostal revivals of the past.  I recently purchased another book on Healing Evangelists with a gift card that I had received from my son and his family for Christmas.  Even though I am only through a couple of chapters in the book, it is very apparent that the burning desire for each of these great men and women of God that drove them and their ministries in the United states and Europe was the love of Jesus and the saving of souls.  The healing ministry was a by-product of their focus on Jesus.

Please don’t misunderstand me as it was a very important by-product and one that they actively pursued and ministered to the thousands that attended their meetings.  But that being said, their first intent was that of the spreading of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The common denominator of all the various evangelists over the centuries was that of a very personal relationship with the Lord.  Many of them had encountered the Lord in extremely difficult personal times and desired to spread the love and grace that He had shown them with the world.

I have mentioned numerous times about my own testimony of coming to personally know the Lord Jesus.  As a Catholic lad in good standing, I had attended parochial school for seven years, served for numerous years as an altar boy assisting the priest during the celebration of the Eucharist, loved God, but understood little about His Son and His ministry to us.  During my senior year in High School, I began to date my wife and often times found us in discussions about our religious beliefs.

Now mind you, I considered myself a good Christian but yet I was very much enthralled at how she seemed to talk about Jesus as if He were her best friend.  It was like she really knew Him, and better yet, that He really knew and took care of her.  To me God was always there, but a little distant… and Jesus, well, we just didn’t talk much about Him!  All I knew was that the priests and the nuns in elementary school would always make the sign of the cross, bow their heads or genuflect when His name was mentioned.  He was always kind of a mystery to me!

But the more my wife to be and I talked, the more I knew that I wanted that relationship too!  It took me a few years, but I finally received Jesus as my personal Savior and Lord and have been in His service ever since!

Now why have I written all this?  It is because as Christians I believe that it is imperative that everything we do, say and think should center around Him and His Word.  Like I wrote yesterday, “We must focus on Jesus, the initiator and completer of our faith.”  (Hebrews 12:2 – compilation of various translations)  He is the One that gets us to the different places we need to be in life and then stays with us (if we allow Him), leading, directing and empowering us until it is time to move on to His next assignment.

Many of the well-known Revivalists of the past came and went, but the few that stayed in the forefront and still have ministries that exist today, are the ones that kept their eyes focused on Jesus and off of men’s suggestions, riches and fame.  That is the kind of legacy that I want to have.  How about you?  I want the visions and dreams, the plans and purposes that I have followed to stay the challenges of time and continue to be a blessing to others for many years to come.  Have a great day!  Stay focused on Him and His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting today?”