A. W. Tozer used to talk about the “roots or the fruits.”, which comes first? We typically judge things by the externals we see. We mostly act shocked when we see some external thing from someone that shocks us, How could that be? The Bible says, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Thus, the reason inner transformation is so important.
From the book, ” The revolution of Jesus is one of character (who you are when no one is looking, my addition), which proceeds by changing people from the inside through an ongoing personal relationship to God in Christ and one another. It changes their ideas, beliefs, feelings habits of Choice, bodily tendencies and social relations.”
Then a definition of Spiritual Formation: “The Spirit-Driven process of forming the inner world of the human self so that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself” That God’s way becomes my way, not only in my actions, but also in the more difficult world of my reactions. This is where we see where our heart is at. If I have an enemy that I see in the distance, can I brace myself to have a positive interaction with them, even though I know they are spreading all sorts of lies about me out in public? The answer to that is generally yes, but can I have a positive interaction when someone blindsides me in person when my defense mechanisms are on high alert? In that moment I generally slide into some outward passivity, but my internal dialogue is at a fever pitch of what I would really like to say. When will I learn to smile immediately at someone acting as my enemy.
As the book says, I’ve been able to dress up what was in my heart, but the internal dialogue sometimes doesn’t honor the Lord and my thoughts demonstrate that my character isn’t where it needs to be yet. It’s what I love about reading the gospels, Jesus interacts with people in very chaotic conditions and yet the words He speaks are the words people need to hear in a way that they need to hear them (stop with the delusion that Jesus always was Minnesota nice). Sometimes his grace poured out, sometimes an outright challenge to their thinking, and sometimes totally reframing their outrageously broken ideas with obvious truth that they were missing.
There is a journey we are on to have what goes on in our inner life matches what goes on in our outer life. To focus on fixing the outer life without addressing the inner life is where we fall short. To address these things that go on inside, will be how things get fixed on the outside. That’s why this is the Renovation of the Heart and not Renovation of the Behaviors.
Truth, Grace, and Time 