Ephesians 4:30-32
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forging each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Reflection
In these verses the Apostle Paul gives us instructions to stay away from any kind of malice and he urges us to live with the virtues of compassion, forgiveness and kindness.
In the midst of all these ethical admonitions Paul tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to grieve the Holy Spirit? When we ignore the Word of God in our lives we are grieving the Holy Spirit. When we ignore God’s truth and follow our own form of wisdom we are grieving the Holy Spirit. Paul included this statement in the midst of these commands to make the right choices because he knew that we will make the right choices to the extent that we are willing to listen to the Word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever grieved the Holy Spirit by ignoring the Word of truth in favor of your own form of truth?
