Saturday, April 30, 2011

Stop It!

The 4/30 verse for today is Eph 4:30, "Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted. "  (MSG)

I love The Message version of this verse.  It demonstrates that there is a transaction that took place when we accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of our life.  We exchanged our old life for a new one and got the ultimate gift of the Holy Spirit as a bonus.  Too often, we don't even realize that this is the bargain of a lifetime!

When I think about breaking God's heart, it breaks mine.  A God that would care enough to live inside me, to guide me in the best possible pathway for my life, is worthy of my honor.  Yet, why are there times we take such a precious gift for granted?  I think it's because we realize that He sometimes leads us in a different direction than our human desires want to take us.  The book of Ephesians gives us a wealth of wisdom for living a godly life.  We can embrace it or reject it, but blessings or consequences will result from our choice.

As Christians, God lives in us and we take Him through every experience in our lives.  I could mention any number of behaviors that break His heart, but I think we are all well aware of them.  We can choose His way or we can choose to drag Him with us through our bad decisions and willful sin.  But we should be mindful that, when our behavior opposes Him, He knows; He is there; and it breaks His heart.  So, what are we going to do about that?  I don't know about you, but I hear a tender voice inside saying, "Stop it!"

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