Good Intentions Are Really No Good

If you were to take a survey of the general population in any given town in America you would find that over 95% of folks surveyed would have good intentions about everything. Good intentions about being faithful to their spouses, good intentions about keeping their word, good intentions about paying their bills, spending time with their children, being a loyal employee, not stealing, not suing, not fighting, and just being a better person in general. Ok, how are all the good intentions of those people working? My point is that it takes more than good intentions and warm fuzzy feelings and thoughts. It takes COMMITMENT! In any area of life, if you want to achieve a certain goal you must first be willing to sign your name on the dotted line, you must draw a line in the sand, you’ve got to stand up and let your word be counted and not ashamed for the world to know it. It will cost you something, mark it down. The question will then become is it worth it to go from just being a good intention in my life to something that I will commit to?
You see all throughout God’s Word there were times through the course of history when God called His people out, the ones that followed, served, and obeyed Him, the ones that truly at the end of the day loved Him. He called them to come out from among all the rest of the people and commit their lives to Him in a renewed and significant way. It was often a very public way in order that there was no confusing those who were committing to Him. Do you remember Joshua’s famous plea from his death bed to the church who still had much land conquering to do? “I’m not going to be here to lead you any longer, so this day make your mark, draw your line, sign up. Choose you this day whom you will serve whether it be the One true God, or whatever society tells you that you need, (idols of your own making.)” Do you remember several hundred years latter a showdown of Olympic proportion that could only be described as “Fire on the Mountain?” The church had by in large defected because of a ruling president and first lady that hated God. Then along comes a man of God named Elijah who calls the people of God to make a commitment right on the spot, to sign up, draw a line, in front of everybody, now! “How long will you waiver between two opposite opinions? If you love the Lord and want to be indentified with Him line up right here, otherwise stay where you are.” If you remember that narrative by the end of the day God had brought down fire on Mount Carmel and all those who did not align themselves with Christ lost their very lives.
Fast-forwarding to the first century when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself walked on this earth He also called men who would be His disciples to make a commitment to Him. "Follow Me," He would say, "Leave everything you have, and come follow ME!" On the first Sunday of this month, March 1, that is exactly what you and I are going to have the privilege of doing symbolically, to recommit ourselves to Jesus and His work. Leave everything that we think we have and put our mark down, draw our line in the sand, sign our name to following Jesus with ourselves, our families, and all that we own. These areas should sound familiar to you as we have been for the past few weeks studying about refreshing our individual faith, our families, and our resources. This Sunday will be the culmination of our efforts, as we all will be asked to join together and commit on the altar all we are to Jesus as His church body in Travelers Rest. God would say to us today that it is time for our good intentions to become more than just good intentions!

I love you and pray for you, Pastor Scott