Countdown to Pentecost – Day 13
“Don’t Grieve the Holy Spirit”
“And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30
Have you ever been grieved? In this context, I describe “grieved” as a feeling of disappointment combined with sadness. Have you ever felt grieved like this? Perhaps a mother who has taught her child the principles of the word only to see that child live a rebellious life. Perhaps a father who sacrificed for his son to go to college only to see him make poor choices and end up in prison.
In chapter four of Ephesians, Paul addresses the behavior that Christians should not engage in – corrupt language, stealing, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc. Right in the middle of this discussion, he instructs us to not “grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” I believe we can grieve the Holy Spirit and actually make him experience feelings of sadness and disappointment when we override his leadership, operate in ways that go against God, and fail to yield to his instructions. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we fail to allow him to reflect Jesus through us.
The opposite of grieving would be happiness and excitement. As we daily yield to the Holy Spirit on our jobs, in our homes and even in casual interactions, it makes him happy and excited that we follow his leading, obey his instructions and allow Jesus to shine through us.
Though many think about how the Holy Spirit makes us feel, let’s flip this around and ask: “How do I make the Holy Spirit feel?” Therefore, beyond tongues and emotional responses to the Holy Spirit, let’s endeavor to live our lives and govern our behavior in a way that we never “grieve the Holy Spirit.”
Scripture Meditations
- Genesis 6:5-6
- Psalm 78:40-42
- Hebrews 3:10, 17-18