You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind – Matthew 22:37

Why is the intention important?

When we are saved, we are moved from a path towards death on to a path toward eternal life. This is the greatest gift we will ever get (Ephesians 2:8). From this point onward we are to live for Jesus, the one who saved us. The bible tells us that Jesus calls us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind, and love our neighbours as ourselves (John 13:34; Matthew 22:37-40). Therefore, all that we do should be done in love (1 Corinthians 16:14). All that we do must be done with this intention.

But what is the intentions of our hearts as we go through our day to day lives? We often find ourselves trying to please others. Whatever we do, we must ask ourselves what is the intention of my heart? Is it to please others or to please God? Is it to show love to others because we genuinely love them?

Why do we do what we do?

We can find ourselves making decisions because we want to please those around us. We are sometimes more concerned about what people think than about what God thinks or what God wants of us. We sometimes want to gain favour from others. It is often easier to make decisions based on the people around us who we can see rather than based on God, who we cannot see. It is easy to forget that He should be more important to us than any other person. Doing things that will gain us favour in the eyes of others may make us lose favour in the eyes of God. However, God blesses the righteous and covers him with favour (Psalm 5:12).

We are sometimes afraid of the consequences of our actions. Many times, when we drive on the road, we follow the rules of the road because we do not want to face the legal consequences of not doing so. Do we ever follow the rules of the road because God calls us to obey those who have authority over us (Romans 13:1)? Do we obey the rules of the road because we love others and we care for their lives?

What we do is often influenced by what others may think. When we give, do we give for others to see or do we give because God has asked us to give (Matthew 6:2-4). Do we give because we feel obligated to give? We should give because we love others and want to show them that love. We should give because God has given to us and He has called us to give to others. We need to make sure that the intention of our hearts is in the right place.

What should we do?

• We should do good to everyone and love your neighbour as yourself (1 Thessalonians 5:15-18; Galatians 5:14).
• We need to show love by being there for people and by meeting their needs.
• We need to look out for people by spending time with them, by reaching out to them, by providing finances, by providing meals, by being a good listener and by being an encouragement using the Word.
• And as we do these things let it be because:
  • we have been loved and we want to spread that same love
  • we care for others just as God cares for us
  • we want to be like Jesus.
• Ensure that the intention of your heart is in the right place.

Biblical Examples

God calls us to do good without broadcasting it. This tells us that when we do good, our intention should be out of love and not to get praise. We should do it because we love others as God has called us to. Matthew 6:1 tells us to beware of practising righteousness in order to be seen by others because we will not have a reward with the Father. Matthew 6:2 tells us when we give, do it in secret. Matthew 6:17 tells us when we fast, do it unknown to others. Matthew 6:6 advises us to pray in secret and not with the intent to be heard by others. These warnings remind us that whatever we do, we should do it with the right intention. We should not do it to show others we are doing good but because of the Father’s love.  

Examine Ourselves Often

Psalm 119:59 reminds us to consider our ways and turn them towards God. Lamentation 3:40 warns us to examine ourselves, probe our ways and return to the LORD (2 Corinthians 13:5). These scriptures remind us that we need to ask ourselves often if we are doing the right thing and are we doing it for the right reason? If we are doing it for the wrong reasons, it will not be genuine, and it will not last.

Be reminded that while we tend to look at the outward appearance, the LORD looks at the heart of man and so He knows the intention of your heart (1 Samuel 16:7). So, what do we want God to see?

Summary

1. The intention behind our actions is important.
2. It was especially important when we are saved.
3. We can sometimes realize that our intention is because of:
4. We want to please others
5. We want favour from others
6. We want praise and recognition from people
7. But we need to do it out of love for others.
8. God calls us to love others as He loves us.
9. God calls us to do good in secret.
10. So, let us do good and examine our intentions frequently.
11. Let us make sure that our intention is born out of love.

This topic is dedicated to my Aunty Genny, who has taught me that it is the intention of the heart that matters. She is a great inspiration to me and I want to say thank you and we love you.

All photos were taken by Kyle or Vani. These photos are from the many adventures we have been blessed to experience together. We are so grateful for every blessing from God. No filters were used nor were the photos edited except for an occasional crop. We hope you enjoy.