A long obedience requires discipline and discipline by its very nature requires intentionality. You cannot develop discipline without being intentional. Lots of habits are formed without our intention but good habits often require us to be in intentional.
In 2017, I identified several values which I try to live by. One of those, and in fact, the first one, is to “Be Intentional.”
I want my life to be shaped by God’s word. As I thought about the values that I hope to shape my life, I could not think of a specific verse where God tells us to be intentional. But, the Bible is full of imperatives and not just all of the specific commandments in the Old Testament. For example “rejoice in the lord” “sing to the lord” “pray without ceasing.” I think God expects us to be actors, creators, and doers. Not lumps of clay, or leaves blown by the wind. He calls us to be His people, to love and serve him, to be a light to the world. In my reading through the New Testament I was struck by the number of times Paul tells us to be worthy of belonging to Christ. Certainly we are recipients of God’s mercy and saved by faith, but we should be active and go demonstrate that truth in our lives. “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1. You cannot live a life “worthy of the calling” without intention. In fact, left to our own devices, and without the power of Christ’s work in us, we couldn’t to that at all.
I am a big believer in the power of habits. For two years or so, I have used the Bible app for my morning devotions. In 2021, I read the entire Bible using the The Bible Project reading plan. The Bible Project intends for you to see the “Bible as a unified story that leads to Jesus.” This plan has daily portions of scripture from Genesis to Revelations, though not necessarily in order. They provide a short animated video introduction to each book and occasionally a short video explaining a major theme in the Bible. I would highly recommend it.
Though I must confess, that there were some days when I went through the motions and simply read the passages in order to check the box. But there were other days that deeply moved me and changed my heart and mind to see and think differently. But without the power of my daily habit, I would not have accomplished that goal, and would more than likely missed those opportunities. It is a little like the quote about you miss 100% of the shots you never take. You can’t learn and be moved by the word of God if you don’t read it.
In his book, “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society”, Eugene Peterson writes, “We think that if we don’t feel something there can be no authenticity in doing it. But, the wisdom of God says something different: that we can act ourselves into a new way of feeling much quicker than we can feel ourselves into a new way of acting.” p. 48 . Doing something without feeling like doing it requires obedience and intentionality.
I tell you of my accomplishment not to brag, even though I am proud of it, but rather to encourage you to create your own habits and practice your own long obedience. My habits or accomplishments do not make be better than anyone else, but I do believe that my efforts make me a better person than I would be if I had not done it. And so while I can’t earn any favor with God, I do find my intentional habit was a form of obedience in a long direction that has made my life a little more worth living, and hopefully has made me a little more worthy of the calling I have received.
A Long Intentional Walk 