9/9 Ephesians 4:30

³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

God has given every believer the gift of the Holy Spirit. We may not experience His fullness and power in our lives until we surrender fully to Him, but He is in us. He leads us on to sanctification by convicting and prodding us each day. He is getting us ready to be the bride of Christ.

When we ignore Him and walk in sin or neglect an opportunity, He is grieved. His sorrow is similar to that of a parent who is trying to grow a child up to have character. The parent is grieved when the child misbehaves, especially in disobedience to what the child has been taught. When the child neglects a wonderful opportunity the parent has carefully placed before him or her, the parent feels sadness. Perhaps saddest of all to a loving parent is watching a child go through a stage of total rebellion.

The Holy Spirit in us is grieved when we detour from the goal of Christlikeness. But He is pleased when we take steps of maturity and take the opportunities He presents to us. His grief and joy affect our own emotions. As born-again believers, we should experience times of sadness when we choose not to walk with the Lord and times of joy when we are obedient.

Consider: We should become increasingly sensitive to the Holy Spirit's grief and joy as we mature in Christ.