Lesson 2: Why Christians Fall Short of True Devotion
“Now the reason of common swearing is this; it is because men have not so much as the intention to please God in all their actions.” A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, p. 21
1. The Root Cause of Spiritual Failure
Doctrine: The primary reason Christians fall short is not weakness or ignorance, but a lack of intention to fully please God.
Key Idea:
Most spiritual failure comes from not sincerely intending to live every action for God.
Supporting Text Ideas:
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People fall short not from inability but lack of intention
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Sin (like swearing) exists because people do not aim to please God
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Intention directs behavior
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Theological Principle:
Spiritual transformation begins with a sincere, governing intention toward God; without it, no consistent holiness is possible.
2. Intention Determines Conduct
Doctrine: A person’s actions naturally follow their true intentions.
Key Idea:
If someone truly intends to please God in all things, their behavior will naturally align with that purpose.
Supporting Text Ideas:
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One who intends to please God cannot continue in obvious sin
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Differences in behavior come from differences in intention
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Intention makes obedience possible and natural
Theological Principle:
The will governs moral life—right intention produces right living.
3. Lack of Intention Produces Worldliness
Doctrine: Without a full intention toward God, people naturally fall into worldly habits and values.
Key Idea:
Worldly living—vanity, pride, idleness, and excess—exists because people have not committed themselves fully to God.
Supporting Text Ideas:
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People live in vanity, pleasure, and idle habits
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Religious individuals still live like the world
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Lack of intention leads to mixed, inconsistent lives
Theological Principle:
When the heart is not directed toward God, it will default to the values of the world.
4. True Intention Transforms Every Role in Life
Doctrine: A genuine intention to please God reshapes every position, role, and responsibility.
Key Idea:
Whether clergy, tradesperson, or wealthy person, full intention toward God transforms how work, money, and daily duties are approached.
Supporting Text Ideas:
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A clergyman becomes focused on spiritual purpose
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A tradesperson turns business into holy activity
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A wealthy person uses resources for charity and not vanity
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Theological Principle:
Holiness is not tied to a role, but to the intention that governs how that role is lived.
Applicable Reflections
Self-Examination Questions:
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Do I truly intend to live according to my values in all areas of life, or only in certain moments?
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What actions in my life show a lack of intentional purpose?
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If my intentions were fully aligned with my values, what habits would change?
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Am I excusing my behavior as weakness, when it is actually a lack of commitment?
Spiritual Application:
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Form a clear intention daily:
Begin each day with a conscious purpose to act in ways that align with your values. -
Evaluate your motivations:
Look beyond actions and ask why you do what you do. -
Apply purpose to every role:
Treat work, school, finances, and relationships as areas where your values must be practiced. -
Remove passive living:
Avoid drifting through habits; live deliberately with direction and purpose.
What does Law have to say?
"Here, therefore, let us judge ourselves sincerely; let us not vainly content ourselves with the common disorders of our lives, the vanity of our expenses, the folly of our diversions, the pride of our habits, the idleness of our lives, and the wasting of our time, fancying that these are such imperfections as we fall into through the unavoidable weakness and frailty of our natures but let us be assured, that these disorders of our common life are owing to this, that we have not so much Christianity as to intend to please God in all the actions of our life, as the best and happiest thing in the world."
A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, p. 26.