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Intentions
January 26, 2013

It is said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It is easy to overlook intentions when considering the world around us. Sometimes intentions are considered for only a few, such as politicians. During an election, political pundits explain intentions of the candidates to the voters. Everyone has intentions. These bridge the gap between dreams and goals. Intentions have been around since the beginning of time and there are numerous examples of intentions recorded for us in the Bible and we learn that intentions can be used for good or for evil, and we are warned to not have evil intentions.

Genesis 1:1-31
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The Bible begins with the act of creation and God's intention to establish this planet as a home for his children. By reading the first chapter of Genesis we learn that actions are driven by intentions. When God said, "Let there be light," he shows an intent and gives a command. To this day in the military, the concept of Commander's intent bears authority in military decisions. When God intended animals to fly in the sky and swim in the ocean, it led to the action of creating these animals. Because God's intention was for mankind to be made after the likeness of God it is important for us to align our intentions to God's intentions. God does warn of the consequences of aligning intentions to evil.

Proverbs 12:2
A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

Some modern translations use the word in place of devices, so the above verse might read, "A good man obtains favor of the Lord, but a man of wicked intentions he will condemn." Good and evil are described in terms of intentions rather than individual actions. The verse doesn't say that God will condemn those who commit wicked acts, just those who have wicked intentions. The Bible shows that God forgives sin, and God is able to forgive sin because of the sacrifice of Jesus, and because he knows our hearts. A person of evil intentions will not be forgiven while those who have good intentions will be forgiven.

Proverbs 14:17
He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly: and a man of wicked devices is hated.

Again, some modern translations use the word in place of devices, so the above proverb may read, "He that is soon angry deals foolishly, and a man of wicked intentions is hated." When somebody is known to be evil and intended evil, they tend to not be liked. Those who intend to do good are generally viewed favorably. We know that intentions can be used for good or for evil, and that we must intend to do good so that we are able to celebrate what is good, embrace what is good, and do what is good.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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