And do not grieve the Holy Spirit, 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 (Ephesians 4:30-31).

Hmm…two pretty important things about God, here.

First, the Holy Spirit is a person.  For a lot of us, the Holy Spirit seems like some sort of ethereal God-mist, floating through the cosmos and entering people like a B-movie ghost. We see the Holy Spirit as kind of a manifestation of God’s power.

But ethereal God-mist manifestations of power don’t grieve.

Persons grieve.

Which brings the second point. The Holy Spirit can be grieved.  In Scripture we’ve seen the Father angry. We’ve seen the Son weep over a friend’s death and struggle at Gethsemane. Now we see that the Holy Spirit, too, knows emotion.

Beloved, our behavior has an impact, not only on those around us, but on the One within us. When we hold bitterness, rage, slander, and all the rest in our hearts, it saddens the One who knows us best and loves us most.

So, whatcha gonna do with that?

Happy Tuesday, Beloved.