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.
Ephesians 4:30 MSG
The compassion of God has no limit. Yet, we are instructed not to test God. What we choose to do with our lives reflects our level of belief in God and whether or not we desire to obey Him. When we choose lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy, or pride we are giving into what grieves the heart of God. When we grieve God, it is usually because we have lost sight of his grace and find ourselves caught up in temptation of some kind:
Lust
So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Matthew 5:29 NLT
Lust destroys us with its consumption of our morals – our sense of what is right or wrong. Without this ability to discern, we fall prey to disastrous outcomes.
Gluttony
Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons
Proverbs 23:20 NLT
Gluttony shows a lack of regard for one’s body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Greed
Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
Luke 12:15 NLT
Greed devours good things and fails to be satisfied. This leads to temptation and the enactment of sinful patterns, often without the wisdom to recognize how detrimental these patterns have become.
Sloth
To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
Matthew 25:29 NLT
Slothfulness disregards the good things being offered, instead passing up blessings due to laziness. This disrespects God, the giver of every good thing.
Wrath
Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
James 1:20 NLT
Wrath is an extreme emotion that is often rooted in hatred. When we are overcome in this way, we lose sight of what is good and become ensnared.
Envy
He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.
Matthew 27:18 NLT
Envy destroys the soul and embitters the heart, twisting it into malicious pursuits.
Pride
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.
1 Corinthians 6:12 NLT
Pride encourages us to take matters into our own hands. This leads us astray and causes us to fall short of the mark God has set for us.
Each of these negative traits is a reminder of what disobedience and lawlessness can produce. Self-control is an absolute necessity for the believer. Anything short of that leads to dangerous extremes. The only way to establish temperance is to rely on the Spirit of God and forsake any practice that contradicts His word. This is how we embody goodness that reflects the heart of a good God.
I hope today’s post blessed you in some way.
As always, until next time,
Be well.
If you love me, obey my commandments.
John 14:15 NLT
Song Selection(s): God Is Good by Jonathan McReynolds; Goodness by RNW Music; You Got Me by Jonathan Traylor
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