The heart of the matter (Jeremiah 4-6)

I know I've written about the heart here before, but it is such a prominent theme in these three chapters that I would be remiss to ignore it.  There is a tendency even within contemporary Christianity to believe that God desires "good works" from His people.  I had a student say something of that nature to me a few years back.  The reality is that God doesn't care nearly as much about "good works" as He cares about a clean and pure heart.  Jesus said that from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.  Similarly, the state of the heart influences a person's actions.  Lest you be tempted to think that this is almost like the age-old question, Which came first, the chicken or the egg?, let me suggest that pure and good actions can only come from a pure and clean heart.  Can bad people ever do good things?  Yes.  But I'm talking about the overall actions of a person.  God didn't desire more "good works" from Israel; He desired hearts that were surrendered to Him.  Through Jeremiah, God communicated to the people of Judah: "O Jerusalem, wash your heart from evil, that you may be saved," (4:14).  I hope that will be my prayer for the rest of my time on earth.