Good Intentions

Good intentions... Things like exercising more, drinking as much water as I should, being more patient with my children. They are all a little like this blog... I am probably not doing as good as I should with any of them, and I need to keep working at them. I did start with good intentions! That is a start, but how far do good intentions carry me?

Well, in my case, apparently not far enough. Good intentions are a good start, but if they are not carried out, what good do they do us? In order for our intentions to do any good, they must be carried out. We can make goals to help us carry out our intentions. We can learn more about the things we want to do. More information can help us to carry out our intentions with more profit or in a more productive manner. God can also help us to carry out our intentions if they are within His will. Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." God knows our intentions before we even have them, and I should be looking to Him for the strength to carry them out, and the wisdom for which ones should even be carried out.

So, when I have good intentions, where do I begin? I often start by thinking about or learning about it. I know that I do not pray nearly as often as I should. That would probably be a better start than thinking or learning. When we feel as it something is inside of God's will, then we should be able to go ahead with that. Some of these things take work, like sitting down and actually typing out my thoughts. Some of these things take choices, like going to the water faucet with a cup instead of heading for a soda. And some of these things take temperance and long-suffering, like being more patient with my  children. And in the end, they are all choices, and they all have a result. Maybe if I stopped to see the results more often, it would have a greater end!

And as an encouragement to you, if you feel that God has called you to do something, remember: it may take hard work, it may not be easy, it may require discipline! But in the end, if it is God's will for you, it will be worth what it takes to complete it! And, without God, it probably will not be worth the price you pay. Psalm 127:1 "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

Amanda