We have to fill our heart and mind with something other than ourselves if we want to be able to bring God glory.
Right on the heels of Luke 11, where Jesus is accusing the Pharisees of creating their own way of worship instead of actually bringing glory to God, Jesus now turns his attention to the people closest to him. He still is talking about the way you live your life as a follower of God but wants his disciples to see that this lesson is also for them as well.
Hiding our sin is something that everyone does in some way or at some point in their lives. I think this is why Jesus talks so much about what happens in our hearts and minds. The heart and mind is a place where we feel safe and alone and out of prying eyes. But we know that what we hide on the inside somehow finds a way out, and this is what we see in Luke 12. If we are harboring selfishness in our lives, and still trying to be a Christian then hypocrisy is what surfaces to the outside.
We have all been there. We want to save face. We want to keep our reputation. We want people to see us as the best, the most prestigious, the most personable and even the most Christian. That is when we find ourselves just like the Pharisees. We build our lives around ourselves instead of our Creator. We create our own way instead of relying on the Provider. We want to take control and provide for ourselves. This path only leads to destruction and self-pity. This will get us nowhere.
We have to fill our heart and mind with something other than ourselves if we want to be able to bring God glory. We see what this is in verse 12. The Holy Spirit is who changes our lives and brings glory to God. He will change the way we think, what we do and what we say. The Holy Spirit gives us the words to say and wisdom we need to make a difference.
