John 16:8-15 (NLT)
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
Some of us, especially in recovery, are good about cleaning up the outside. Free from the glossy effect of our addictions, we practice proper hygiene, wear decent clothes, exercise, go to church, attend meetings, and generally appear as if we have it all together. But if our change is focused on the outward appearance only, we are in grave danger of either relapsing or only dealing with the symptoms of our addictive problems and not with the original issue itself. Ask the guy in AA who has been sober for 30 years but is still telling the same story he always has. Or the guy from Celebrate Recovery who is clean from drugs but is still a raging mess within. Or worse still, the man who acts the part at church service but is rotten to the core.
Any permanent, meaningful change taking place in those of us in recovery must begin on the inside and make its way outward. When Jesus enters your heart and fills you with His Spirit, the transformation comes from within. You have a Counselor in your very soul, guiding you into making better choices and decisions. Your perceptions change. You realize the hope you have in Christ. And then you act outwardly on the inward changes. Out of your belly (inside) shall flow rivers of living water (outside).
Here are two scenarios for consideration:
1. After spending any amount of time with Keith, it was evident to everyone he was simply a white washed fence, newly painted but the same rotten wood beneath. Upon cleaning up, he took great pride in his appearance- fixing his hair, wearing stylish clothes, smiling a lot, talking up all the changes in his life. And perhaps the casual observer might have thought he truly changed. Those of us who knew him well, however, saw a broken man struggling to hold up his mask in the charade. He said all the right words, but when he thought no one was listening or watching, the directionless void within reared its ugly head and relapse followed.
2. In contrast, Will was the quiet, unassuming type of recovering addict. Most of his struggle came from within. We often thought maybe he was contemplating an exit. But the Lord was just working in Him and Will was allowing the work, however painful, to be done. Once he found out who he was in Jesus, the outward change flowed. Family and friends noted this, and in my experiences at the shelter, these changes tend to last.
Discussion Questions:
1. Does your “inside” and outside” match?
2. Are the changes being made in your life coming from the inside out?
3. What are some of the dangers of cleaning up the outside without scraping the inside?
