Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God
Ephesians 4:30 There’s no better time than this exact moment to contemplate what you’ve done recently that could grieve the Spirit of God, confess, and repent.
“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Ephesians 4:30 NASB1995
In today’s verse, Paul is educating his readers at the church of Ephesus in what they need to do (and not do) as they walk with Jesus each day of their new lives as Christians. He’s already implored them to “lay aside the old self… and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Now Paul is going a bit further, asking them to speak the truth to one another; to be angry… but not sin; to work instead of steal and to provide for those who cannot work; and to “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29)
The sum total of what he is asking them to do is wrapped up in today’s verse — whatever you do, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”. The Holy Spirit identifies us as followers of Christ, and He protects and counsels us.
How can we “grieve the Holy Spirit”? By neglecting holiness, or being more wrapped up in materialistic earthly life than in our life as Christians. In John 15:26, Jesus tells His disciples that the Spirit will exalt and testify about Him. If we do not exalt the Lord or testify about Him to others, we can grieve the Holy Spirit.
To finish today’s devotional, I can think of no one better to quote than Charles Haddon Spurgeon:
“I think I now see the Spirit of God grieving, when you are sitting down to read a novel and there is your Bible unread… You have no time for prayer, but the Spirit sees you very active about worldly things, and having many hours to spare for relaxation and amusement. And then he is grieved because he sees that you love worldly things better than you love him.”
“He is grieved with us mainly for our own sakes, for he knows what misery sin will cost us; he reads our sorrows in our sins… He grieves over us because he sees how much chastisement we incur, and how much communion we lose.”1
There’s no better time than this exact moment to contemplate what you’ve done recently that could grieve the Spirit of God, confess, and repent.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I pray that You keep me from the things that grieve Your Spirit and undermine my relationship with You. Guide in the ways that let me live for You with humility and gentleness of spirit. I pray this in the name of Jesus, AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The New Park Street Pulpit" Volumes 1-6 and "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)