One of the best classic country songs says in the chorus:

And I turned twenty-one in prison doin’ life without parole
No one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried
Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied
That leaves only me to blame ’cause Mama tried

Merle Haggard wrote that song about his own life. Merle said that that whole song was all true except the part about doing life without parole. He was indeed in San Quentin prison at 21yo, but his was not a long sentence. Nevertheless, you have to know that that grieved his mother. She was a strong Christian woman and had not raised him to lead the kind of life that put her son in prison

You know, it hurts us to think about grieving our sweet mothers with our rebellious ways, but have you ever considered how much more serious it is that our rebellious ways grieve the Holy Spirit? Oh, it’s a big deal. Apostle Paul begs us in Ephesians 4:30, “…Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Beloved, the Bible says that when we were saved, we were indwelt with the Holy Spirit. That means that the Holy Spirit resides in us, and every time we do what we shouldn’t do, it causes the Holy Spirit within us grief. Your sin causes Him sorrow. And that should be the last thing we want to do.

His sorrow is our shame. But our doing right is His joy. Let’s bring the Holy Spirit joy instead of grief.

Change begins in you!