JULY 6
DON'T GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT
Ephesians 4:30-32
30 Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you. (WEB)
In today's Bible reading, we discuss grieving the Holy Spirit. First, what does it mean to 'grieve' the Holy Spirit? The Amplified Bible translates 'grieve' as ... (do not offend, vex, or sadden Him). (AMP)
I have also heard that the word 'grieve' means to break His heart. The New Living Translation says verse 30 this way... And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by how you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing you will be saved on the day of redemption. (NLT)
In a relational context, this means we can hurt the Holy Spirit if we give in to bitterness, wrath, anger, slander, etc. To better understand this verse, think about your dearly loved family and friends. Would you ever want to intentionally hurt them? Of course not! That doesn't mean we don't hurt those closest to us sometimes, but we don't mean to do it. Hopefully, when we realize we've hurt them, we will turn around and correct our behavior.
Our relationship with God's Spirit, who resides in our hearts, is similar. He is the third Person of the Trinity and is God Himself. He has chosen to live in our hearts and is influenced by our choices. Today, I pray that we become sensitive to the things that grieve Him, not out of fear or legalism, but simply because we do not want to hurt Him.
If we can sadden Him, we can also bless Him! I believe verse 32 guides us to honor and bless His heart... And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you. (WEB) May we all live in complete harmony with the Spirit of the God who has chosen to make us His temple!
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. (WEB)
30 Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you. (WEB)
In today's Bible reading, we discuss grieving the Holy Spirit. First, what does it mean to 'grieve' the Holy Spirit? The Amplified Bible translates 'grieve' as ... (do not offend, vex, or sadden Him). (AMP)
I have also heard that the word 'grieve' means to break His heart. The New Living Translation says verse 30 this way... And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by how you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing you will be saved on the day of redemption. (NLT)
In a relational context, this means we can hurt the Holy Spirit if we give in to bitterness, wrath, anger, slander, etc. To better understand this verse, think about your dearly loved family and friends. Would you ever want to intentionally hurt them? Of course not! That doesn't mean we don't hurt those closest to us sometimes, but we don't mean to do it. Hopefully, when we realize we've hurt them, we will turn around and correct our behavior.
Our relationship with God's Spirit, who resides in our hearts, is similar. He is the third Person of the Trinity and is God Himself. He has chosen to live in our hearts and is influenced by our choices. Today, I pray that we become sensitive to the things that grieve Him, not out of fear or legalism, but simply because we do not want to hurt Him.
If we can sadden Him, we can also bless Him! I believe verse 32 guides us to honor and bless His heart... And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you. (WEB) May we all live in complete harmony with the Spirit of the God who has chosen to make us His temple!
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God. (WEB)