Aligning our Best Intentions
Have you ever had an experience where when you give your all, apply your best intentions, it did not result in what you thought? Maybe a far less than favorable outcome?
I remember having a conversation with an individual that I had dislikes with. Trying my very best to make mends, the conversation did not go anywhere like I hoped. Actually, the relationship, what little that was there, faded away like a vapor.
Although my very best intentions was sound in my opinion, looking back, I could have done a better job with my approach, my words and so much more! Most importantly, apply God to the picture more than I did!
Today being the Second Sunday of Lent, I wanted to explore the philosophy of how we should align our best intentions to Gods!
It is sad to say, we live in a time where even our best isn’t the best at times.
I remember one of my supervisors in the Navy told me “Today you give your 100%. Tomorrow, you give your 100% as well! But each day, you cant compare the two!” So basically, we fluctuate just like our weight, day by day we try to be the same, yet, we are not!
When our greatest achievements are not what we hope they would bring forth.
From a known website in 2018, there was a article I read that gave a suggestive approach to athletes training for their career oriented goals. Here is an excerpt from that: “We often equate outworking someone with performing more sets and reps than them and working out longer than them. But that's often a recipe for overtraining and diminishing returns. Outworking someone also doesn't mean loading the bar with too much weight and performing the exercise with terrible, ineffective form.
Odds are, your rivals are performing many of the same exercises and drills you are, and they're likely utilizing a similar number of sets and reps. How do you outwork that person? By approaching your training with great intent.”
If you think about it, there is some truth to its principle.
SO when we think of intentions, what could that mean? Webster dictionary states “what one intends to do or bring about; b: the object for which a prayer, mass, or pious act is offered; a determination to act in a certain way”
When we put something in the front of us, we intentionally expect that to be who we are, or who we represent. A police officer has a badge, a doctor has a stethoscope and so on. As the preacher in Proverbs said many times “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity.”
But what happens when what we put in front of us that we intend to display, isn’t correct in the first place?
I remember on several occasions I would see people with the nicest cars and knowing some of them personally, they have a tremendously poor home environment. Sometimes it’s the principle of what they want people to see is more important than what they truly are! I have said this multiple times, When you are alone, that is who you truly are!
In the epistle of Romans today, Paul is writing to the romans and I find it very interesting, the word “Faith” is used over 55 times in the letter.
In writing the letter, Paul made mention how God has made righteousness possible through the living and resurrection of Christ!
When I think of intentions in what paul is talking to the romans about, its about following God’s laws.
If you look in the job field today, the application would defiantly ask if you have degrees and other certificates to prove your qualifications. One thing stands out to me is it also asked what ‘experience’ you have! Its not enough to say “I Qualify” but its another to have the experience with it!
When it comes to taking our ‘best foot forward’ in what ever we do, do we not apply what we learned, our experience to help us make the next steps?
But what happens when we do not have the experience in moving forward towards the direction we want to go? We get lost, discouraged, we start the feeling of inadequacy and so on! How can we follow Gods laws if we don’t have a relationship with him?
A very broad point here friends, it is vital to align our best intentions to Gods is making ourselves Aware of our sins. Gods laws is designed to serve as a ‘NEGATIVE’ function to those that do NOT live by faith! This alone will help point us into Gods direction.
Here’s an example!
Adam and Eve, we all know the sin that started in the Garden of Eden and they choose to sin. But think about it! If they had NOT sinned at all, it would resulted in not potentially knowing Gods astounding gift of redemption which ultimately is through his son Jesus.
So its very possible, we would not even know Gods grace and riches he provides and to what length he will go to restore the relationship with us as a result of disobeying Gods law! SIN!
Just like Adam and Eve, their best intentions at first was following all God had instructed them to do. In the end though, their own desires and will paved the way to destruction the bible says!
So how did Adam and Eve know without experience what to do next?
JOKE: Whats the one thing Adam and Eve did not have that each of us here have? Ancestors!
They had no past experiences to mimic, to guide them. They literally only had God to direct them!
So that tells you friends, you do NOT have to have experience to follow God, you only have to have “FAITH.” Faith that can bring life out of death! Faith that moves mountains and aids us while walking on water!
Faith!
It’s a strong and courageous word to use in a time and world of uncertainty!
The bible does tell us in many locations, our own wisdom can cause us to fail!
1 Corinthians tells us “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
We are to be set apart friends! Believers apart from Unbelievers!
And its all by the way of the Cross!
When we reflect on this season in LENT, are we truly keeping ourselves in line with Gods will for our lives?
Is our true intentions a direct reflection of God’s?
It’s a very fine line friends to follow!
In closing friends, here is what we all need to do!
Book of Leviticus tells us that we can ‘Sin unintentionally’ and yet, it STILL requires forgiveness!
Even when we do NOT intent to fail, be disobedient, fall short, we still have to answer for those actions!
Our relationship with Christ, should always be our first priority in life! That’s why when we walk this journey of LIFE, everything we encounter, everything we expose ourselves too, everything we surround ourselves with can impact our decisions even if unintentionally!
So friends, being HONEST with ourselves before God is vital! Bring all confessed and unconfessed sins to him by the way of the cross is the ONLY WAY to even start to align ourselves to his will for our lives.
Just think, its just not his will, it’s the BEST option, BEST will, BEST of everything he has for us.
What did the prophet Jeremiah tell us “For I know the plans that I [a]have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for [b]prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” This is one of many reasons LENT is an important start to the journey we take every year before Easter. And as Jesus tells us clearly in Gospel of Mark “Whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” God requires us to make a heartfelt choice to deny ourselves friends and follow him.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!