Developing Spiritual Intimacy

In the light of what I shared yesterday, on "The Spiritual Intimacy of a True Disciple," I was meditating today on Ephesians 4:30. Different Bible translations render this verse in different ways:

• New International Version - "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

• New King James Version - "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

• New Living Translation - "And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption."

• Young's Literal Translation - "And make not sorrowful the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye were sealed to a day of redemption."

• New Life Version - "Do not make God's Holy Spirit have sorrow for the way you live. The Holy Spirit has put a mark on you for the day you will be set free."

• Worldwide English (New Testament) - "Do nothing that makes the Holy Spirit feel sad. He is the mark God has put on you until the day you will belong to God altogether."

• God's Word - "Don't give Gods Holy Spirit any reason to be upset with you. He has put his seal on you for the day you will be set free [from the world of sin]."

• New Testament in Modern Speech - "And beware of grieving the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you have been sealed in preparation for the day of Redemption."

• The Amplified Bible - "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin)."

• The Message - "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."

That last quotation, from The Message, is what I quoted in yesterday's post, and it is the version that really struck me today. Eugene Peterson describes the Holy Spirit as "the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself." And you notice that Paul's encouragement to live a holy life is a warning that to do the opposite -- to live a life not fit for God -- actually grieves the Holy Spirit Himself. That means that I don't merely anger God when I choose a life contrary to God's holiness, I actually bring grief to God's heart! That puts a whole different spin on my motivation to live a holy life!

And take a look at the context of Ephesians 4:30. In the very next verse, Ephesians 4:31, we find these words:

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

That verse is not a non sequitur. It has everything to do with not grieving the Holy Spirit! In other words, how do we grieve God's Spirit? By harbouring "bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice"!

Sin is much more than just doing the wrong thing. Sin is an intimacy breaker. We see this in everyday relationships - there is no quicker shortcut to breaking intimacy in a human relationship than to be unfaithful to your partner, or to wrong your partner in some way. It is no different with God.

So, I've been meditating on Ephesians 4:30. I've been asking the Lord, "How can I develop a greater spiritual intimacy with you?" And the answer, it seems, is a two-fold one. Part one of that answer is: "Spend time with Me!" That part is the obvious part. But it is the second part of the answer that has been ringing in my ears all this evening: "Walk with me!"

The first part of God's answer involves spending "quality time" with the Lord. It means hearing His voice. The second part of God's answer, however, involves obedience. It means putting what you hear into practice (note Matthew 7:24-27; James 1:22).

It always seems to come back to John 15:4: "Remain in me, and I will remain in you." And the fruit that John 15:4-8 speaks of is, of course, nothing less than the fruit of intimacy with God! Check out Galatians 5:22-23 and Ephesians 5:8-10 for a detailed list of the fruit of intimacy with God, but I especially like Colossians 1:10, which describes it as "bearing fruit in every good work" and Philippians 1:11, which describes the fruit of intimacy with God as "the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ."

Developing and maintaining a genuine intimacy with God depends not just on spending quality time with the Lord (i.e. in personal devotions) but in walking with Him in everyday life (i.e. in obedience to God's Word). The two components of genuine intimacy with God are:

1. Hear
2. Obey

Jesus brings this out clearly in John 15:9-14:

"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love...You are my friends if you do what I command."

Where Jesus says, "You are my friends if you do what I command," read: "You will experience true intimacy (i.e. genuine friendship) with me if you do what I command." Disobedience breaks intimacy with God, just as genuine, heart-motivated obedience builds that intimacy. So in closing for today, I encourage you to meditate on that same passage from Ephesians 4:30, as found in The Message:

"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."