Intentional Pursuit: Building Meaningful Relationships with God and Others

Devotional

Day 1: Daily Spiritual Nourishment

Spiritual growth requires consistent, daily engagement in spiritual practices. Just as our bodies need daily nourishment to stay healthy, our spirits need daily engagement in practices like Bible reading and prayer to grow and mature. Attending Sunday services alone is not enough to sustain spiritual growth. Daily spiritual disciplines help us draw closer to Jesus, strengthen our faith, and equip us to live out our faith in our everyday lives. By making these practices a regular part of our routine, we can experience a deeper, more vibrant relationship with God. [07:46]

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV): "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Reflection: What specific time each day can you set aside for Bible reading and prayer to ensure you are consistently nourishing your spirit?

Day 2: Pursuing Intentional Relationships

We are created for community, and deep, meaningful relationships require intentional effort. Whether it's with your spouse, children, or friends, pursuing these relationships with purpose and effort reflects God's intentional pursuit of us. Intentional relationships don't happen by accident; they require time, energy, and a willingness to invest in others. By prioritizing these relationships and making a conscious effort to nurture them, we can build strong, supportive communities that reflect God's love and care. [12:34]

Proverbs 27:17 (ESV): "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."

Reflection: Who in your life do you need to be more intentional about pursuing a deeper relationship with? What specific steps can you take this week to invest in that relationship?

Day 3: God's Relentless Pursuit

Ezekiel 34:11-12 illustrates God's relentless pursuit of His people. The sovereign Lord, who created and sustains the universe, seeks us out like a shepherd searching for lost sheep. This divine pursuit underscores the depth of God's love and His desire for a relationship with us. God's pursuit of us is not passive; it is active and intentional. He goes to great lengths to seek us out, rescue us, and bring us back into a relationship with Him. This relentless pursuit is a powerful reminder of God's unwavering love and commitment to us. [19:10]

Ezekiel 34:11-12 (ESV): "For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness."

Reflection: How have you experienced God's pursuit in your life? Take a moment to thank Him for His relentless love and consider how you can respond to His pursuit.

Day 4: Practical Steps for Intentional Living

Building intentional relationships requires practical steps. For example, scheduling regular dates with your spouse or one-on-one time with your children can foster deeper connections. Writing down these commitments helps make them actionable and ensures they are prioritized in our busy lives. By being intentional about our time and efforts, we can create meaningful connections and build strong, supportive relationships that reflect God's love and care. [32:00]

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV): "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Reflection: What practical steps can you take this week to be more intentional in your relationships? Write down one specific action you will take to invest in a key relationship.

Day 5: Recognizing and Responding to God's Pursuit

God has been pursuing us since the day we were born, orchestrating circumstances and placing people in our lives to draw us closer to Him. Recognizing this divine pursuit should inspire us to respond by pursuing God and others with the same intentionality and love. When we understand the depth of God's love and His relentless pursuit of us, it compels us to seek Him with all our hearts and to extend that same love and intentionality to those around us. [31:34]

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV): "You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

Reflection: How can you intentionally pursue God this week? What specific steps will you take to deepen your relationship with Him and reflect His love to others?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we explored the concept of intentional pursuit in our relationships, both with God and with others. We began with a story about a man named Michael Zinkiewicz, whose six-hour police chase in Southern California highlighted the lengths to which people will go in pursuit of something important. This set the stage for our discussion on the importance of pursuing meaningful relationships in our lives.

We revisited the series "Blueprints," which focuses on developing everyday rhythms to foster spiritual maturity. We emphasized that spiritual growth cannot be sustained by Sunday services alone; it requires daily engagement in spiritual disciplines, church involvement, missional living, and intentional relationships. We discussed how spiritual disciplines like Bible reading and prayer are foundational, and how church engagement through corporate worship and small groups can deepen our faith.

Missional living was highlighted as living with purpose, sharing Jesus' love in our everyday environments. Today, we focused on the fourth pillar: intentional relationships. We are created for community, and deep, meaningful relationships require intentional effort. We examined Ezekiel 34:11-12, where God, as the sovereign Lord, actively seeks and rescues His people, illustrating His intentional pursuit of us.

We also shared stories to illustrate the importance of intentionality in relationships. The story of Wesley and Buttercup from "The Princess Bride" showed the beauty of relentless pursuit in love. We also heard about Jay Leno helping a stranded woman and Navy SEALs rescuing a kidnapped aid worker, contrasting different levels of intentionality and sacrifice.

Finally, we discussed practical steps for building intentional relationships, such as prioritizing time with your spouse, children, or close friends. We emphasized the importance of writing down these commitments to make them actionable. The message concluded with a call to recognize God's pursuit of us and to respond by pursuing Him and others with the same intentionality.

###

Key Takeaways

1. 12 illustrates God's relentless pursuit of His people. The sovereign Lord, who created and sustains the universe, seeks us out like a shepherd searching for lost sheep. This divine pursuit underscores the depth of God's love and His desire for a relationship with us. [19:10]
4. Practical Steps for Intentional Living: Building intentional relationships requires practical steps. For example, scheduling regular dates with your spouse or one-on-one time with your children can foster deeper connections. Writing down these commitments helps make them actionable and ensures they are prioritized in our busy lives.

5. Recognizing and Responding to God's Pursuit: God has been pursuing us since the day we were born, orchestrating circumstances and placing people in our lives to draw us closer to Him. Recognizing this divine pursuit should inspire us to respond by pursuing God and others with the same intentionality and love.

### [19:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:19] - Michael Zinkiewicz's Pursuit
[06:45] - Introduction to Blueprints Series
[07:46] - Spiritual Maturity and Daily Engagement
[09:12] - Spiritual Disciplines: Bible and Prayer
[10:31] - Church Engagement
[11:41] - Missional Living
[12:34] - Intentional Relationships
[15:38] - Ezekiel 34:11-12: God's Pursuit
[19:10] - The Sovereign Lord's Intentionality
[22:41] - Jay Leno's Act of Kindness
[25:25] - Rescue Stories: Hurricane Helene and Jessica Buchanan
[31:34] - God's Relentless Pursuit
[32:00] - Practical Steps for Intentional Relationships
[37:26] - Intentional Parenting
[43:19] - Overcoming Spiritual Apathy
[45:52] - Invitation to Know Jesus
[47:23] - Next Steps and Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What does Ezekiel 34:11-12 reveal about God's character and His relationship with His people?
How did the story of Michael Zinkiewicz's six-hour police chase illustrate the concept of pursuit? [06:00]
What are the four pillars of spiritual maturity discussed in the sermon, and how do they contribute to our growth? [07:46]
How did the story of Wesley and Buttercup from "The Princess Bride" illustrate the idea of intentional pursuit in relationships? [14:22]

Interpretation Questions

In Ezekiel 34:11-12, why is it significant that God Himself is the one who searches and rescues His sheep? How does this reflect His intentionality? [19:10]
How does the concept of intentional relationships reflect God's pursuit of us, as illustrated in the sermon? [12:34]
What practical steps were suggested in the sermon for building intentional relationships, and why are these steps important for spiritual growth? [32:00]
How do the stories of Jay Leno and the Navy SEALs illustrate different levels of intentionality and sacrifice in relationships? [24:01]

Application Questions

Reflect on your daily spiritual practices. How can you incorporate more intentional Bible reading and prayer into your routine to foster spiritual growth? [09:12]
Think about your current relationships. Who in your life do you need to pursue more intentionally, and what specific steps can you take to deepen those relationships? [32:00]
How can you recognize and respond to God's pursuit of you in your daily life? What changes can you make to ensure you are actively pursuing a relationship with Him? [31:34]
Identify one person in your life who you feel God is calling you to pursue intentionally. What practical steps can you take this week to invest in that relationship? [32:00]
Consider the story of Wesley and Buttercup. How can you apply the same level of intentionality and effort in your relationships with your spouse, children, or close friends? [14:22]
Reflect on the idea of missional living. How can you be more intentional in sharing Jesus' love in your everyday environments, such as work, neighborhood, or social circles? [11:41]
What are some potential obstacles that might prevent you from being intentional in your relationships, and how can you overcome them? [43:19]

Sermon Clips

1. "Every one of us is called to walk into spiritual maturity. But here's the truth. This is true of any church. If Sunday morning church is the only spiritual thing that you're doing to grow, you're malnourished. Think of it this way. If you fed yourself once a week, Sunday brunch, you wouldn't survive. If you did, you wouldn't be healthy. And yet we think, hey, I'm going to grow. I'm going to be spiritually healthy by just showing up at church on Sunday. That's not the case. And one of the values we have at City Church is this, that spiritual or the discipleship starts at home. We believe that your maturity, your spiritual maturity, you've got to feed yourself some." [07:46] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "We talked about missional living. That's living your life on a mission trip. Not having to go, which we do want to go to the nations, but going, hey, I don't have to take a trip to Australia to tell people about Jesus. I can be on a mission trip in Georgetown, Texas. I can be on a mission trip in Gerald, Texas. I work in East Austin. I can be on a mission trip to East Austin Monday through Friday. I can go and connect with people and love people in such a way that Jesus shows up in their life." [11:41] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "You have to pursue relationships that matter. Let me tell you about Wes. Wes pursued a relationship. Wes fell in love with a girl. He loved her. She loved him. They were a proverbial match made in heaven. One of the things that was beautiful about it is Wes really like loved her. He lived his life to make all of her wishes come true. He told her that. The things that you desire, I want to make happen. I want to serve you. I want to bless you. I want to be the man in your life that is everything for you." [13:12] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Great relationships rarely happen on accident. Intentionality is what makes relationships deep. I want you to see two things out of this passage. If you do small group and you use our small group questions, one of the questions is what do you see out of the passage? I'd love for you to share that with your group, because there's a lot just these two verses. There's two things I just want to bring your attention to. The first one is this, who's seeking? I mean, I myself will search. I will be like a shepherd looking. I will be like a shepherd looking. I will find my sheep and rescue them." [20:56] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "The pursuer is the sovereign Lord, the God who created all things. The God who at this moment sustains the universe alone and by himself. The God who, if we were saying, if we were kind of looking at his job description, we'd go, it's pretty big. He's got the universe. The sovereign, all powerful is what that means. The all powerful creator of the world, the Lord, the boss, the top one is pursuing you, seeking you. Don't let that get lost on you." [21:33] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "God has heavenly forces. He has angels. I mean, God can be like, listen, I'm pretty busy guys. Hey, angels, y'all go take care of them. God says, I, the sovereign Lord am coming. I, the sovereign Lord pursue you. I, the sovereign Lord am coming. I, the sovereign Lord want a relationship with you. And he's been intentional from the very beginning of time. He has throughout your entire life. And sometimes you've seen it and sometimes you've missed it, probably missed it more than you've seen it. He's been intentionally placing you around people, intentionally speaking in your life, intentionally engineering circumstances so that you could know him and know him better." [22:09] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "Most of us don't realize how in need of rescue we are. Western culture, the West and America and Texas, we got it. We're pretty good. We're desperately in need of rescue and God has been on the way. Rescue us from our sin. And that happens at the moment of salvation and rescue us from ourselves, which is what an everyday rhythms plan does. Helps us walk with God." [25:03] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "You have to pursue them, be intentional, capture their heart. Dads, moms too, but dads, discipline happens best. That's not just that. Moms and dads, discipline happens best when you've captured the heart of your kid. James Dobson says, rules without relationship leads to rebellion. Like you have to have the relationship. You have to capture the heart of your kids. And so you've got to figure out and write down, how am I going to manage my calendar in order to have intentional relationships with my kids?" [34:32] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "Why is it so hard for us to carve out 10 minutes on a Sunday afternoon to think through spiritual disciplines and write them down? Why is it so hard for us to carve out 10 minutes the following Sunday, 10 minutes a week to think through what is my commitment in church engagement and then in missional living and then in intentional relationships? It's hard because the enemy doesn't want you to do it. The enemy wants you to live life like you're just accidentally going to make it through. Like you're just going to accidentally grow spiritually. Like you're just going to accidentally have deep and fulfilling relationships." [43:19] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "Jesus is pursuing you. He's brought you here this morning to hear that, that he's pursuing you. He wants you to pursue others. And he wants you to pursue him." [44:29] (8 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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