WEEKLY DEVOTION

“And do not grieve the

Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed until the day of redemption.” Eph. 4:30 (Read v. 17-32)

How we must grieve the Spirit of God, who was given us in our baptism and dwells in the hearts of believers, teaches us from God’s Word and seeks to lead us in His ways until the day we are set free from sin and death to reign forever with Christ in heaven!

Instead of listening to the Holy Spirit, we so often walk in the ways of this world and yield to the temptations of the devil and to the desires of our corrupt human nature. Instead of devoting ourselves to the Lord God and obeying the voice of His Word, we neglect to read and study our Bibles or pray for His help and strength in times of temptation.

That is why David, after acknowledging his sins to the LORD, also prayed: “Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).

Considering how often we fail to follow the Spirit’s leading and yield ourselves to sin rather than to our God and Savior, God would be just in casting us out of His kingdom and taking His life-giving Spirit from us. And if He did, there is no doubt but that we would be lost forever!But God hasn’t done that. Instead, for Christ’s sake, He continues to call us back to repentance and faith. He rebukes our sin but offers and gives us forgiveness for the sake of Jesus’ blood shed upon the cross for our sins.

O gracious and merciful Father, for Jesus’ sake forgive us for grieving Your Spirit by not walking in Your ways or heeding Your Word. Grant that we put off our corrupt sinful nature and put on the new nature created in our hearts by Your Spirit. Amen.

[Devotion by Randy Moll. Scripture taken from the Modern King James Version of the Holy Bible Copyright © 1962 - 1998 by Jay P. Green, Sr., used by permission of the copyright holder.]

News, Pages 4 on 08/17/2011