A proverb says: “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Apparently it had its root in a saying of St Bernard of Clairvaux of the 12th century who had said: “Hell is full of good wishes and desires.”

We can interpret those sayings in two different ways:

• Either about people who had good intentions and ideas of doing something good and helping others, however, never really followed through, maybe because of procrastination, laziness, distraction, lack of support or resources, fear of consequences, or true inability.

• Or on the other hand, it can be used for people who actually did something, thinking they were helpful and right with what they were doing or saying, only to find out that their actions and words, though well intended, had horrific consequences.

For both we find ample examples in history. The latter is often used as storyline for dramas and tragedies like in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, where both die in the end, though the intention of Friar Laurence was to help both of them to come together.

If we are honest, the dilemma between good intentions and not so good outcomes is familiar to most of us. Maybe you kept some truth from a friend to protect her, however, in the end it hurt her.

You might have fulfilled a big wish of your 12-year-old child by giving him the smartphone he wanted so much, only to see him suffer when social media showed their antisocial face to him.

Another problem is the unkept promise. Not only politicians struggle with this. One might have promised to do something, only to never fulfil the promise and disappoint all involved. People-pleasers often have this problem as well. Sometimes we just have difficulties with saying “no” when facing a request, and then we cannot fulfil what was promised.

As I have difficulties with saying “no” as well, I learnt to rather say something along the lines of: “Let me think about it, I am not sure whether I can right now.”

Christ once told a parable about this topic. He was actually criticising religious leaders of his time with it.

Those religious leaders may have started their careers with the best intentions. They wanted to serve God, they wanted to serve the people and lead them closer to God. However, caught up in tradition, dogma, and man-made guidelines, they often failed to deliver.

After a discussion from where John the Baptist and Christ himself had their authority to preach, Christ answered in Matthew 22:28-32 (NRSV):

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“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not,’ but later he changed his mind and went.

The father went to the second and said the same, and he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father? They said, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him, and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

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We are invited to identify with one of the characters. “Is it really good enough to have the good intentions?” That is the underlying question.

By referring to the most notorious sinners of his times, those who were most hated by the religious elite, Christ does not leave a doubt what he thinks. It is not the intentions, but the volition, the change of heart, and action that make all the difference. Once we are convinced by God’s word, we are called to live accordingly, as well as we can.

We have to look at this parable very carefully. It is so easy to fall into the trap that the overly religious leaders had fallen into: understanding coming to faith as a one-time decision that will be sufficient for the rest of our lives.

But the truth is, we need to continually question ourselves, how we fulfil the promise we gave to God. Are we procrastinating? Do we just feel too tired, too busy, too distracted, are we too cheap?

I like it that Christ talks about the children of the vineyard owner, not his workers or slaves. You do not lose the relationship with the father because you disappointed him. God still loves all his children. You are still his child and heir.

Both sons had disappointed the father, the one for not following through, the other for denying the request in the beginning. At the end, though, the actions are louder than words.

The tax collectors and prostitutes who had heard John and Jesus had realised that they were doing wrong. The message about God's Kingdom had touched them in a way that made them repent.

They may not have been able to change their lives completely yet. Change takes time. People with addictions know that. But if you never start to change, you will never be changed.

So let us look at our lives with the same sincere look: are we as Christ would want us to be? Through baptism we are children of God. That is a gift many of us received long before we were worthy of it. We are called to be heirs of his Kingdom. God is faithful, and he will not take this from us.

However, our father has work for us to do in his vineyard. He begs us to get up and begin caring about it. So which kind of son or daughter are we? Are we just making lip confessions, or are we ready to begin with the work?

The good news is, even if we initially were unwilling, consumed by our own interests and our own work, tired, or lazy, we still can change. We still can begin to live as Christians. This world is full of opportunity to do God’s work with our hands.

To be a worker in our father’s vineyard can be tiring, even frustrating at times. Those who are willing to work see others who couldn’t care less, people who spend all their time, talent and money on their own interests and have excuses when it comes to helping others.

On the other hand, we feel carried and cared for by the Good News that set us free to follow our Lord. We can make a change in this world, in his vineyard, so that it matters whether we were here or not.

Let us learn from Paul's Letter to the Philippians (2:3ff) and pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, so that our intentions will turn into volition, leading to the right outcome: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit … Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus … for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

• Karsten Decker is an ordained Lutheran pastor and novelist from Germany who has lived and worked in Bermuda since 2001. At the moment he helps the Centenary Methodist Church at Collectors Hill as pulpit supply.