我有一位朋友違背了結婚的誓約，看著他毀掉自己的家庭，真令人感到痛心。當他尋求與妻子復合時，他詢問了我的意見。我告訴他，他需要做的不僅是口頭承諾，還要以行動積極地愛他的妻子，並除去任何形式的罪惡。

當以色列民違背與上帝所立的約且隨從別神時，先知耶利米提出同樣的忠告。雖然歸向上帝是正確的開始，但並不足夠，他們必須言行一致，那就是除掉「可憎的偶像」（耶利米書4章1節）。耶利米說，如果他們「憑誠實、公平、公義」作出承諾，那麼上帝就會祝福列國（2節）。但問題是人們經常只作空口承諾，有口無心。

上帝要的不僅僅是我們的口頭承諾，祂更看重的是你我的內心。正如耶穌說：「心裡所充滿的，口裡就說出來」（馬太福音12章34節）。因此，耶利米不斷地鼓勵那些願意聽從上帝教導的人，要開墾他們乾硬的心田，不要將種子撒在荊棘叢裡（耶利米書4章3節）。

令人惋惜的是，我的朋友就像很多人一樣，沒有聽從聖經明智的忠告，結果失去了婚姻。當我們犯罪時，必須認罪且要悔改。上帝不要我們給祂空口承諾，而是要我們行事為人能真正符合祂的心意。

A friend had violated the vows of his marriage. It was painful to watch him destroy his family. As he sought reconciliation with his wife, he asked my counsel. I told him he needed to offer more than words; he needed to be proactive in loving his wife and removing any patterns of sin. 

The prophet Jeremiah offered similar advice to those who’d broken their covenant with God and followed other gods. It wasn’t enough to return to Him (Jeremiah 4:1), though that was the right start. They also needed to align their actions with what they were saying. That meant getting rid of their “detestable idols” (v. 1). Jeremiah said that if they made commitments “in a truthful, just and righteous way,” then God would bless the nations (v. 2). The problem was the people were making empty promises. Their heart wasn’t in it.

God doesn’t want mere words; He wants our hearts. As Jesus said, “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34). That’s why Jeremiah goes on to encourage those who would listen to break up the unplowed ground of their heart and not sow among the thorns (Jeremiah 4:3).

Sadly, like so many people, my friend didn’t heed sound biblical counsel and consequently lost his marriage. When we sin, we must confess and turn from it. God doesn’t want empty promises; He desires a life that’s truly aligned with Him.