Good Intentions vs. God Intentions
My husband loves to cook! Over the years, he’s taught me that cooking food to perfection is something of an art – not quite a formula, not quite a by-the-numbers recipe. Rather, cooking well is connecting our intent and with our outcome.
Suppose you’re grilling a steak. Charred perfectly, it looks complete on the outside but the inside needs another minute to reach the perfect temperature. Cooked too long and it becomes overdone and chewy. Intent didn’t match outcome.
Good intentions. Best intentions. We all have them. Yet how often do we intend for one thing to happen only to experience a completely different outcome?
Think about it. When was the last time you made a comment to someone, realized you had actually hurt their feelings, and apologized by saying something along the lines of “oh my, I never meant it that way!”
Would it surprise you to realize we do this with God all the time? Our “good intentions” are often at odds with God’s “willful intentions” for our lives. For instance, when we seek achievement in the world yet neglect those in need around us. Or when we make “our truth” more important than “The Truth.” Or when we try to do something we know isn’t God’s will by believing the end result will justify how we get there, regardless of how it might affect others.
God’s will isn’t really hard to understand if we seek it. It’s never manipulative or deceptive. He doesn’t hide it away in secret. His intent is never out of synch with the desired outcomes of our lives – if those outcomes are aligned with His Holy will.
Our issue – in fact, the single greatest issue facing humankind since the moment of creation – is answering a single question: “Is what I intend more important than what God intends?”
Eve faced that question. Adam faced it. Abram (later Abraham) faced it. Moses faced it. The Apostle Paul faced it. Even Jesus himself faced it during that singularly pivotal moment in Gethsemane when he cried out “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by.” Jesus resolved this question one passage later by surrendering his will to God, saying “Nevertheless, let it be as You, not I, would have it.” (Matthew 26)
Does our will align with God’s? Do our “good intentions” match God’s intentions?
This week we explore that question through the thoughts of Sandals Church Senior Pastor Matt Brown, President of Life on Life Ministries Randy Pope, President of Family Life Communications Randy Carlson, Blogger Joshua Travers, and others. We hope it speaks to you as it has to us!
Blessings.