Setting Our Intention Toward Love

By Jennifer Holloran, Chief Operating Officer

Post date: Oct. 5, 2020

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I am really good at getting things done. I have my long-range goals broken down into the steps that I need to take to achieve them. I have my task list that I diligently follow for important tasks for the day, the week and ways to prepare for the upcoming month. I get a little thrill every time I check off a box or draw a line through a specific task.

But there are other areas of my life that don’t come as naturally. Sometimes it’s really listening to my daughter share in extreme detail about a video she’s watched on YouTube. Sometimes it’s spending time with someone that I know will drain my energy when maybe I feel like I don’t have a lot of energy to give. Sometimes it’s participating in an act of service that isn’t a strength but that will mean a lot to the person being served.

There’s a phrase in U.S. secular culture: “setting your intention.” The idea is that if you want to accomplish your goals for the day, you should start by saying out loud or in your own head what matters most.

Scripture tells us that, without Christ, our human intentions and efforts aren’t good enough to earn us God’s love; even the best intention we could set for ourselves falls short of perfection. With Christ, we’ve been given a new intention to set — to fix our minds on loving God and loving one another.

If I set my intention for my day based on my natural inclinations, I will live like James 1:22-24 warns: ”But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like” (NLT).

My intentions might bring me personal, human satisfaction, but they won’t fulfill who God wants me to be as his new creation.

If I allow God to set my intention, I’ll experience James 1:25: “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it” (NLT).

It isn’t easy to let go of what I want. It isn’t comfortable. Sometimes it feels physically hard to follow God’s intention.

But it’s not about what I want, or my intentions or even how I feel. Following God is about what he wants, how he’s transforming me and you, and how he’s using each of us to participate in the transformation of teams and communities. And God transforms us as we engage in deeper relationships within our own Wycliffe community.

So while I’m probably going to keep using task lists to keep myself organized, I want God to set my intentions for today, tomorrow and every day.

I hope you’ll join me and let God do the same for you.

Questions for Reflection:

• Do you find it easier to be intentional about things focused on “doing” (like tasks) or “being” (like spiritual growth)? Why?

• Where does God want to “set your intentions” today as you seek to become more like Jesus?

• How can you practice setting your intentions on Christ instead of yourself each day?

Our Deeply Rooted devotionals are now designed specifically for you to engage in deeper community with one another. We encourage you to gather together as a team for 15-30 minutes of reading, discussion and prayer each week using the prompts in the devotional.

Para leer el devocional en español oprima aquí.