Tuesday: Grieving the Holy Spirit – Part 2
That the Holy Spirit can be grieved tells us that God is not indifferent to us and what we do. God is affected by what we decide and how we live.
Read Ephesians 4:25-5:2. What are we told to do here and how different would our lives be were we to follow these biblical commands?
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In positive terms: we delight the Holy Spirit when we speak the truth in love; when we are angry about sin, but do not sin in our anger; when we work with our own hands and use the product of our labor to do good for the needy; when we speak in an edifying manner and impart grace to our hearers; and when we are kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.
If we claim to be Christians, yet live as though Christ had never come and our lives are not affected by His leading and His love, then we grieve the Holy Spirit. When we confess that we believe in the Truth, but how we act and behave contradicts that confession, we grieve the Holy Spirit. Lack of moral integrity also grieves the Spirit. Our outreach efforts must not be divorced from our ethical behavior. If we live in such a way that others realize that we truly are His children and reflect Jesus, we bring joy to the heart of God.
Read Ephesians 4:3-4, Ephesians 4:15-16, Ephesians 4:32. What do these texts reveal about the communal aspects of living in the Spirit? How does a Spirit-filled life reveal itself in the community with other believers?
It is interesting that in Ephesians 4 there is also a distinct communal aspect. The idea of unity is mentioned several times. Paul is concerned that we maintain the unity of the Spirit because we live the life of God in the context of “one another” (Eph. 4:32). How we relate to one another in the church, “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3, NKJV) is a crucial part of not grieving the Spirit. How we treat one another in the church, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17), really does matter to God. How we consider one another in the body of Christ is of prime importance to God’s Spirit.
| It’s fine to know the truth, the three angels’ messages (Rev. 14:6-12), but ask yourself this question: How do you treat others, especially those who are under you or those who can do nothing for you? That is, they have nothing to offer you in return. |
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What is the explanation, or definition, or understanding of Grieving the Holy Spirit? The Greek word grieve is, lapeo, pronounced loo_peh-o. Some of the definitions or examples are sad ,sorrow, heaviness, to make sorry, cause grief, and more. These are human emotions that we understand. Is the Holy Spirit affected by emotions the same as we are?
We have included a reference verse in Ephesians 4:30 that says we were sealed for the day of redemption. That made me wonder what does it mean to be sealed? If you are curious and do not know, It means like a stamp or signature for security. to keep secret. or seal up.Perhaps temporarily. Then is that day of Redemption a general term or an individual reference that Paul had in mind? I try to understand as much as possible when reading a verse or passage. So I end up with more than a few questions many times.
As Christ sacrificed himself for his love to us, we Christians are supposed to follow his example by loving our neighbors and showing good manners as a Christian
The Holy Spirit empowers us for service and then brings us to areas and to people in whom that service is to be applied. When we refuse this prompting to serve others we grieve the Holy Spirit. We live in communities that are filled with suffering humanity and yet 'Spirit filled Christians' just continue with life as usual. When we have the mind of Christ we will grieve together with the Spirit on many things that look normal to people.
We can only treat others well when we know how to treat ourselves well too. In order for us to fully understand our neighbors it would help if we understood ourselves first. How can we evolve and grow in relationship with others when we lack knowledge about our own limitations?
When the Holy Spirit is leading me, it means treating others with kindness, inclusively and with respect that doesn't come with bias.
He gives discernment in my dealings and there are times when I've had to learn to forgive others as well as myself for actions that were less than what God would want for us in our dealings with one another.
The Holy Spirit is wise enough to guide me in my relating with others whether they are believers or not. He knows every heart even though the thoughts and actions of others are often a mystery to me. Even in relating to others I can trust the Spirit of God to lead me as I truly want love others genuinely and appropriately like Jesus does.
If we have not grieved the Holy Spirit by placing ourselves above God and our fellow man through pride and covetousness, our lives will be filled with peace and joy. How different the world would be if all who called themselves followers of Christ were like Him. It would be like heaven!
The Law is all about the social conduct of the individual toward God and their neighbor. We are not meant to be isolated from others, and when creating the world, God said “It is not good that the man should be alone”. God lives in a community and His intention is for all to enjoy the benefits of being part of a community. If selfishness exists, the community will become void of peace, safety, and eventually, even existence. Hasn't the great controversy taught us this? Living a Spirit-filled life is to have the law written upon our heart. This is the role of the Spirit of God when we surrender our life to His will while living by faith in a fallen world.
Reciting the 3 angel's messages and KNOWING them are not the same thing. We cannot share these messages if we have not received them. Notice: “Fear God...give glory to Him...worship Him...” is the 3-fold command of the message. If we learn what these mean and accept it, we will know the messages and can be effective in fulfilling the commission of Jesus to all His followers, who follow the Lamb wherever He leads.
It seems like everybody has a weakness in their life and always the temptations are around that sin. Is this true? If yes, then unless you are connected continually to the Holy Spirit, you can't overcome such temptations. This is the life of prayer and bible study. We should pray for the prevention of temptations for such individual weakness. God bless you all for your inputs.
Not every body,Jesus lived a such life, a human example. So the work of the Holy Spirit is to remind you about your weakness,your sin etc. After acknowledging the weakness,the sin,humble your self to the Holy Sprit advice through the holy scriptures. As Saul did we can as well do.