Being Intentional

Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’

Everyone is subject to the law. We’re not supposed to point at others’ sins when we get caught in our sin. We’re not supposed to think it’s okay for us to lie or steal because we follow leaders who lie or steal.

If the law tells us not to do something, it doesn’t mean it’s okay to do it if you don’t get caught. It means don’t do it. It means to stop yourself if you see that what you’re doing is going to lead into doing it. It means if you get close to doing it, stop and run the other direction.

Exodus 20:13 is a command: “You shall not murder.” If the law says not to murder, then bring life into your world, not death. Commit kindnesses, not crimes. Murder is not accidental, but intentional. Shouldn’t bringing life into your world be intentional as well?

How does one bring more life into the community?

I can’t imagine that a person wakes up in the morning and, for no reason, decides to commit murder. There has to be some kind of development that leads a person to that point. To me, it makes sense that one could take that in the opposite direction and find out what will lead a person to commit acts of kindness.

There are so many ways to think thoughts of life that may develop into ideas of appropriate actions that develop into life-affirming habits. If we consider those among us who need a little more attention, we might come up with a plan to use our own gifts to make someone else feel special.

I wonder how many people (some you may never know about) will see your example and start a life-giving trend in their own circle of friends.