Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit...Bring Him JOY!

           Have you had your Joy Juice today?  Drink it faithfully so that you won’t grieve the Holy Spirit.

            We have discussed this week a difficult subject…GRIEF!  We don’t like to have to deal with it…personally or through a friend….because it’s hard!  It’s hard to deal with our emotions; it’s hard to know what to say; it’s hard to know the right things to do. 

            Consider this: GOD watched His ONLY Son die for you and me!  And what an agonizing, awful death it was.  The Father experienced the grief of seeing that happen to Jesus, yet He allowed it because He knew it was necessary for the salvation of all us sinners!  Now, that’s love!  And it should bring much gratitude and joy to our hearts.

            There is a verse in Ephesians 4:30 that speaks of grief….but in a little different context. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”   Does that mean that you and I can cause the Holy Spirit to grieve?

        That’s exactly what it means! The fourth chapter of Ephesians tells us that we grieve the Spirit by living like the pagans (4:17-19), by lying (4:25), by being angry (4:26-27), by stealing (4:28), by cursing (4:29), by being bitter (4:31), by being unforgiving (4:32). To grieve the Holy Spirit is to act out in a sinful manner, whether it is in thought only or in both thought and deed.

            May each of us refrain from doing anything that would grieve our Heavenly Father.  Instead, let’s always aim toward bringing Him JOY and sharing His joy with others. !