"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."
Ephesians 4:30
The man was at work in his office when his son called on the telephone. He informed his dad that he spent the night in jail, after being arrested for drunken driving. He wanted his dad to sign bail for his release. The father assured his son that he would come to the jail immediately. Before the conversation ended, the son said, "Dad, please don't tell mom. I don't want to grieve her." Later, they talked about his mother knowing. The father said, "Your mother will be grieved, but she needs to hear from you and not someone else."
Have you ever thought about how we can grieve the Holy Spirit through sin? Many times we forget that God has emotions. He has made us in His image and likeness. That likeness includes our emotional nature. We can actually grieve God's Spirit with our words and actions. The apostle Paul mentions specific sins of believers which grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32).
It's only when we experience grief for our sins that we are led to repentance. It's referred to as godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:10). "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance" (2 Corinthians 7:9).
The young man in jail did not want to grieve his mother. He knew that his mother loved him, and he loved her. He had no doubt that his mistake would grieve her. So it is with our God. He loves us, but our sins grieve Him. Our sins hurt others. By the grace of God, He allows us to experience godly sorrow which changes our lives.
God, forgive us for grieving the Holy Spirit.
