This may come as a big surprise to those who have met me, but I am not a man. Shocking, I know. This week, Chris started his series on REAL MEN as we continue through Mark, and I wasn’t sure how it would apply to me, but I quickly learned there was much to glean from Mark 3:13-15.

This passage is about the calling of the 12 disciples. Since I am a believer, I, too, have been called, even though I am not a man. Chris said that Christ’s purpose for those He called was for them to be intimate WITH Him and intentional FOR Him. It seems so simple, doesn’t it? And yet I find this to be my struggle every single day.

Intimacy with Christ doesn’t happen by accident. For me, intimacy with Christ has to start in the first hour of my day. When I don’t start my day in the Word, my focus is off. Instead of seeing the rest of the day as one planned by my loving Heavenly Father as opportunities to bring Him glory (Ephesians 2:10), I tend to see everything as either going my way or getting in the way of what I want. If I instead give myself time to soak in the truths of who my God is—and what He saved me from—my heart is filled with love and thankfulness for being called one of His.

Being filled with the Spirit through intimacy with Him is not simply for my personal benefit. God desires that I act intentionally FOR Him. Intentionally acting for Christ means viewing all situations and people with an eternal perspective, constantly filtering what I feel, say and do through the grid of scripture. It also means fulfilling the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20), looking for ways to share Christ with those around me.

Although much of the REAL MEN series may not be directed at me or women in general, I am still excited to see what God will teach me in the coming weeks.