Day 12
Scripture focus: What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well" - but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? James 2:14-16 NLT
It's the kind of email that once read, I wonder what I should do with the information. It was long and rambling, filled with critique and criticism of what I should and should not do. I thought many of the points were valid. A few were way off target. Some points of correction were missing and should have been added to make it a more complete letter of instruction. In the months subsequent to receipt of this letter, I've made some changes; and I'm reasonably happy with the process of transformation this letter sparked.
But here's the problem. It would have been easier to intend to make these adjustments than it was to actually change. I resisted the urge to pave a road with good intentions, and instead, chose, reluctantly, to just walk the path of stepping as God speaks. True, the letter wasn't from God. But I asked God to use the letter to remodel me as he saw fit. I initially found several excellent reasons to resist responding to the letter's clarion call to change. (After all, the letter writer certainly had issuesthat needed addressing, some of the facts were way wrong, the tone was snippy, some comments hurt my feelings, my best friends would have read this letter and come to my defense.)
Can I give you one silly example? I hate a messy closet, and I intend on practically a daily basis to avoid the creep of clutter that mysteriously attacks my cabinets and closets while I'm away from home. One day I recognized that the only thing I was doing about my frustration over messy storage space was whining about it. Last year I made the decision to stop whining and actually do something different. It's taken a year, but my plan was devised and executed. I restructured and redid one closet a month - whether I was in the mood or not; whether I had time or not; whether it was bothering me on the scheduled day or not. Today I am free from the stress of good intentions (in this one area of my life)!
Are there dreams that you've talked about but never pursued? Is something bugging you about yourself that you intend to rectify soon? Do you find yourself speaking of your intentions and hopes but delay taking the next right step toward achieving them? Intentions mean very little in the world of transformation, except to act as a barrier to achievement. Intentions never show up on a resume because frankly, they count for little when it comes to measuring one's life.
Are you convinced you that are willing but somehow not able to proceed with fulfilling God's big plans for you? If so, you're kidding yourself. If you are looking to maintain the status quo of your life, you will have no trouble finding a host of reasons to postpone change (see paragraph two). But if you want the abundant life, you must resist the urge to believe that your intentions have merit. They do not. You must stand firm against the silly false belief that your intentions somehow make you a better person.
What you do matters. Do something different today that gets you one step closer to your true God-created identity.
Recommended reading: Genesis 27 in the morning; Matthew 9 in the evening
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 TNIV
2 comments:
I really relate to the INTENTIONS because I frequently find myself making new plans or starting a new project, however, my problem is not following through or putting it off; my problem is that some kind of significant obstacle stops me from continuing with my plans. I don't mean an obstacle that changes my path for a day or two, I am talking about a life changing obstacle, where I have to reconsider and prioritize serious life needs. For the past several years, it is as though there is this huge black cloud hanging over me that continuously pours bad things. I realized a long time ago that God is giving me these experiences to prepare me for something, however, I haven't figured out what that something is yet. Just when I think I am beginning to figure it out, my course or path is changed and I have to realign my focus and actions. The one lesson that I have learned and that significantly changed my view on life is that nothing materialistic is permanent or necessary to continue living.I have never had a drug or alcohol problem, nor have I had any interest in gambling or shopping. My hang-up and habit is always trying to please everyone. I would go to great expense to make people happy. My intentions were always related to helping others or giving everything within myself to make others happy. This should me a great thing, right? As I found out, I had left nothing in reserve for myself, and I ended up bed-ridden with the worst case of mono any adult could have. Needless to say, I lost most of my material possessions. After recovering, I had intended to get back what I had lost, but God's plan was different and my intentions continue to be blocked. Maybe I need to stop resisting the true plan God has for me and wait for His work to put me where I should be? Why is it so hard to be obedient and patient when one has visions, dreams and good intentions?
Often, I find that I have all or nothing thinking. If I've not begun my day well or circumstances have worked against my good intentions or set course for the day-well, you might predict how the day can go-my old way of thinking has been- this day is shot-I'll just try again tomorrow and sometimes that is ok. But more and more I've come to see that the kind of tomorrow that I'm putting all my intentions in is simply not going to come. Life just doesn't work that way for me or for most of the people I know. Presently, I have returned to some old behavior that I told myself I would not repeat. The devotional this morning has reminded me that last year I had some good intentions and even had a plan of change and was following through and made significant progress. I can go back to the plan-each day that I have lived with simply good intentions has not worked so well for me-I have this sense of time slipping away and wonder what it was that God had planned for the day that I might have missed. Being deliberate seems to be different from having good intentions.
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