Amending Ways and Doings

God commanded Jeremiah to stand at the gate of the temple and proclaim in Jeremiah 7:3:  "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place."  God repeatedly urged His people to thoroughly amend their ways and their doings because they were out of the way--having gone out of the way because of the sinful dictates of their hearts--and their deeds were wicked as well.  People who heard the word of the LORD through Jeremiah were not receptive to such exhortations.  Those who are wise and fear God will take His word to heart with humility and obedience, knowing God is perfect and we are not.  As long as we live in these bodies of flesh in a world corrupted by sin, amendment of our ways and doings will be required regularly.

The word "amend" is more than "change," for it means to add what is lacking.  When it comes to soil, amendments need to be added and mixed with the existing soil to correct a problem with soil pH, poor water retention, too much clay, lack of organic material and nutrients.  Understanding the concept of amendment requiring adding what is missing was a lightbulb moment for me.  We can take notice of outward sins and make the mistake of working to to cull them from our lives by willpower alone (with a variety of motivations that can even be selfish), and this can make little difference.  One reason we fail to change is we have tried to remove a sinful practice without adding what was missing; we often try to manage symptoms without addressing sin's source in our hearts and minds.  Putting forth effort to stop doing what is wrong without first doing what is right will be a fruitless endeavour, like trying to put on the "new man" without putting off the "old man" with his sinful deeds.  We must first be born again and walk in the Spirit, and then we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  But we don't always walk in the Spirit, do we?

For soil to be properly amended, the ground must be prepared by breaking up the clods and removing debris.  As amendments must be thoroughly integrated, mixed and watered into all the soil, so we should integrate God's word into all aspects of our lives.  God pointed out the need for the children of Israel to amend their ways and doings--and these are not synonyms.  A way speaks of a course of life, a road that is leading to a destination.  Going our own way puts us on the wrong road that always leads to ruin.  Our "doings" speak of our thoughts, decisions and deeds.  One not need to be a licensed driver to understand being on the wrong road will lead us to the wrong destination, and focusing on checking your mirrors and maintaining a safe distance will not put us on the right path.  When we discover our ways are sinful, the only right turn we can make is to Jesus Christ with a repentant, contrite heart.

If we will truly amend our ways and doings, we must acknowledge we need to add what is missing to our lives that only Jesus can supply by His grace.  It is not sufficient to restrain ourselves from murder, but to love one another as Jesus loves us.  Deciding stealing is wrong and we should stop doing it may not ever be put into practice until we find our contentment in Christ and view giving to God and others as a privilege and blessing.  Praise the LORD for the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives who guides us into all truth, who teaches and helps us to comprehend and obey God's word.  Progress may seem slow, but every step of faith in Jesus is truly a monument of God's grace toward us.  Hosea 10:12 says, "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you."