Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord promised the people of Judah that if they would amend their ways, turn back to Him, and seek to follow His will in how they treated others around them, He would bless and establish them in their land forever.
5 “For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, 6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, 7 then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Jeremiah 7:5-7 (NKJV)
The Lord is making a similar promise to us today, although the “land” He offers us is a rewarding journey through life as seek to we follow after Him, now and throughout eternity.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about the importance of amending our ways. Before He died on the cross and rose from the dead as a sin offering for all believers, forgiveness for sins was obtained through a sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem. By approaching Him, God will certainly forgive us for what we have done, but what about the people we have hurt along the way with our less-than-ideal behavior? Jesus reminds us to consider our relationship with them, as well.
23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24 (NKJV)
Jesus is describing the concept of making amends with those we have hurt or offended. It is a fundamental step in any twelve-step recovery programs for addictions, destructive habits, or other types of spiritual damage.
Amends is the process of recognizing our own hurtful behaviors, confessing them to God, and admitting them directly to those who have been most affected, doing everything in our power to seek to restore any damage we have done. We are only looking at our own offensive actions here, not at the actions others might have also done to us.
We can never totally undo a wrong that we have done. It may have been an act of commission or omission, but it is something that we now recognize and wish we could go back to do different this time. The best we can do now is to clearly admit our fault, and wherever possible, seek to restore any brokenness it caused in an effort to bring about healing. The affected parties are under no obligation to receive our peace offering. And sometimes, they may not, but we are obligated by God to try, making a sincere effort at reconciliation. Even if rejected, He will reward us for trying.
If a person we owe an amends to is dangerous, or has a history of abuse, we will certainly want to avoid entering any situation that will cause more problems than it solves. But for many, if not most, situations, the Lord will guide us forward to try.
Reconciliation is the centerpiece of Jesus’ coming to earth, restoring a right relationship between God and all people around the globe. He wants us to incorporate the same principle in our relationship with others.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 (NKJV)
So how do we go about this process of confronting our past head on to begin a new life of reconciliation? With God, all things are possible, especially when our efforts are aligned with His will for us. It is all about starting, taking a small step of faith with a large determination to do the right thing.
First, we pray for guidance and direction. We ask Him to show us the best way. He promised us that His yoke is easy and His burden light. We can best proceed with Him gently leading the way, providing the openings, giving us the courage to speak up at the right time to admit to the offended party that we were wrong.
After we make our first amends, the second one usually comes easier. Perhaps we will have successfully restored a friendship, perhaps not. We have absolutely no control over how it will be received, nor do we have any expectations along these lines. But we do know that, as we seek to follow God’s will, no matter how imperfect of a job we do, He will be very pleased with us and with our heart that seeks to be fully restored with His. We have begun to follow His word through Jeremiah, calling on us to amend our ways.
Reflection
Who has the Lord placed on my heart to amend my ways with?
Lord, thank You for offering the ministry of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. I confess my wrongs to You and ask that You help me to move forward with a ministry of reconciliation wherever I have hurt others. May they see You alive and active in me as I seek to share a divine love and forgiveness with them. Grant us peace as we seek obey You to amend our ways. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Have a beautiful, blessed day in the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 