The great tendency is to be so self-satisfied with the truth that we possess that we neglect the need to conform our outward lives to these convictions. Too often our habits and tastes remain unaltered, rather than conforming to the desires of the inner, or new, man. The light is in the pitcher, but the pitcher is opaque!
Human self-improvement is directed to the habits—the external. It does not aim to impart a principle within. The Lord's education of us, however, is that the external, the body, should be the expression of His own life which He has put within us. We are not to be indifferent as to our actions because of this assured life within, for unless we are governed by it, there cannot be testimony.
What a person is, is judged by what he does. If he tells us what he is, we look to his ways to see if the evidence substantiates his claims. It is useless for a man to tell us he is humble in heart, if he is proud in manner. It is vain for a man to say that Christ is his one object if his habits and lifestyle mimic those who are without Christ.
It is true that there is often the desire to be more devoted, and to be more like Christ, before one's acts and manner conform to the desire and make it a fact. And yet the more the desires which grace has generated in the heart are given a place, the sooner they will become facts. The more Christ has His throne within me, the more I will rejoice in Him, and have no confidence in the flesh.