No Grief Please

Ephesians 4: 30

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

There is continuity in Paul’s teaching to the Ephesians. He begins at a basic place; redemption. Paul tells us to put on the new self that was won for us through Christ’s victory. He continues through the other verses we have looked at building upon each preceding verse; the foundation being Christ himself. Paul teaches us about truth, anger, righteousness and the tricks of the devil. Then he instructs us to keep our mouths from speaking anything except that which is edifying. No sooner does he give us instruction about the way we use our language than he tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. In other words, we have the ability to grieve the Holy Spirit and one of the quickest and easiest ways to do that is to speak in a way that is not consistent with truth (which is Jesus) and love (which is God 1 John 4: 8).

We must begin to take these things seriously. The Lord is showing us that it is important to Him that we guard our mouths, that we treat each other kindly, that we act in ways that are becoming of the children of God. Really now, none of us wants to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. That is a horrible prospect. But we don’t take these other instructions of God seriously at times. We say any stupid thing that comes to our minds. We say unkind things about others and we even lie. Even if you are telling the truth, if it does not edify then it should go unsaid lest you grieve the Holy Spirit. Do you really want to cause our God and Father grief? Then begin to take seriously His instruction to you. Don’t take the Bible as just printed words on a page but instead see the living, breathing Word of God. Take His word to heart and let it change you. Let it guide and instruct you.

Holy, Holy, Holy

Exodus 28: 36

Holy to the Lord.

You probably recognize this verse as coming from the epic tale of the Israelites escape from captivity in Egypt and ultimate arrival in the promised land. Aaron was Moses’ brother and the first High Priest of Israel. His appointment and consecration to his office was met with solemnity and formality. This marked the beginning of the priesthood of Israel. God set out exactly what the priest’s attire was to be. One of the things God ordained was that a medallion of pure gold was to be engraved with the words, “Holy to the Lord” upon it. This medallion was to be affixed to the center of the turban that the High Priest was to wear. Everyone, therefore, who encountered Aaron would be met first by these defining words.

It is noteworthy that God did not have these words engraved on a ring, a necklace or any other adornment. The words, “Holy to the Lord” were worn right in the center of Aaron’s forehead. Kings and Queens wear and carry many symbols of their office and of power. None is more poignant, though, than the crown. There is something about crowning a person’s head that seems to produce a greater message than anything else. That is why it seems significant that God chose the forehead of the priest for this telling message. Think of this too, if you look at yourself in the mirror, do you not almost always see your head? You may not see much of the rest of your body but most often the image of your head is reflected back to you. So, imagine what Aaron looked upon every time he saw himself.

So, you are waiting for the parity of this verse to your life, aren’t you? Well, I say that “Holy to the Lord” is emblazoned on your forehead as well. I honestly believe that every one who can see in the spiritual realm, including demons, sees that you have been marked as a highly valued member of the royal family. We know that there will be a time when people will be pressured to take the mark of the beast upon themselves but there are verses in the Bible which tell us that we have already been marked by and for God (Ephesians 4: 30 Amp). We are His and His alone and I think you can take great comfort in that. I want you to see even more than that though. I want you to see in the reflection in your mirror, “Holy to the Lord”. Every time you look in the mirror to put on your make-up or shave, the words “Holy to the Lord” should shine back at you. You are holy and precious. It is right there, as plain as the nose on your face.