Today’s Change Journey Verse is Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
Here are some other verses to consider on the subject of grieving the Holy Spirit:
“8For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. 9In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. 10But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.”
Isaiah 63:8-10
“40How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert! 41Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. 42They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.”
Psalm 78:40-42
“12That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 1:12-14
How Might I Grieve the Holy Spirit?
The verses quoted above mention several ways in which I might grieve the Holy Spirit. These include the following:
1. Lying
2. Rebellion
3. Tempting God
4. “Limiting” God by unbelief
5. Forgetting God and what He has done for me
What Work Does the Holy Spirit Do in My Life?
God has given me the Holy Spirit for special purposes. Some of these are as follows:
1. I am sealed by the Holy Spirit
2. The Holy Spirit is the earnest of my inheritance, God’s promise that full redemption is coming some day
3. The Holy Spirit is my Keeper. By the Holy Spirit, I am “kept safely against the day of redemption.” This promised redemption is the deliverance of the body as well as the soul from sin and sorrow. “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23)
The Holy Spirit has such a special and happy purpose in my life. I pray God will help me not to grieve His Holy Spirit.
Some thoughts in this short study came from Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary