10This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Living by an external code of conduct can be very difficult. People come into the Army as individuals. Part of what happens during training is that they become part of a larger entity. They gain a sense of belonging and responsibility to their battle buddies. The goal is to lose the drive of self over the drive for others. We never leave a fallen soldier. The other, even when they are dead, is of greater value than the self. We reward those who engage in this kind of selfless service with medals and honors. These acts happen when the external codes of conduct get internalized, when they become part of the fabric of the individual. This is exactly what the LORD had planned for us. He wants His Word to be an internal compass, as source of guidance and of strength. When the Word changes us from the inside out, we don’t need the external codes to direct us. We don’t need someone to teach us, because the Word is teaching us from the inside. Then we enter into a new relationship with God and with each other. That is what has happened following the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus. On the Day of Pentecost the Spirit came to change from the inside. The Spirit turned a group of timid cowards into bold proclaimers of the Truth. What had been something external became something internal. Oh that we would experience this change in our lives.
The Arnold Journey 