“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you and your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)
The Holy Spirit unites with our spirits the moment we receive Jesus as our Lord and savior. Because of this union, we can’t help but feel what the Holy Spirit within us is feeling. So, when our minds and purposes are aligned with His, which is what it means to walk after the Spirit, the Holy Spirit rejoices. Our spirits then begin vibrating in harmony with Him and we feel His joy as our joy.
By the same token, when our minds and purposes are contrary to God’s, which is what it means to walk after the flesh, the Holy Spirit is grieved. Correspondingly, we feel the Holy Spirit’s grief deep within our spirits.
Since He is God, the Holy Spirit feels whatever He feels perfectly. He feels perfect joy. He feels perfect grief. Therefore, when the Spirit feels joy within us, we experience it as “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1Pt. 1:8b). When the Spirit is grieved, we experience melancholy beyond measure (Ps 32:3-4). This is why the scriptures implore us to walk after the Spirit and to avoid grieving Him (Ga. 5:16; Eph. 4:30). We will face enough grief and sadness just in the course of living in this fallen world, and we need strength to endure it. And, it’s the joy of the Lord that is our strength (Neh. 8:10).
So, let’s make it our aim today to walk after the Spirit. Let’s keep pace with Him, aligning our minds and purposes with His. Let’s do this so that His joy will be in us and our joy will be made full.