Quench not the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19
The Spirit Quenched
This short thought is expressed succinctly in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. It tells us that we can “quench” the Holy Spirit. We have seen that the Spirit indwells us, and He can be grieved. Here we find that He can be quenched! This shows the Personhood of the Spirit. As the third Person of the Trinity, we understand that He is not just a force, but He has personality. He relates to us by what we do, and how responsive we are to His working in our hearts.
So then, what does it mean that we can quench the Spirit? To quench means to put out the fire. The passion that we have for Christ should never be doused by our fears or by an attitude of belligerence. When we hold back, or neglect His desires for us, we quench the Spirit. Each day as He works in our lives He makes us stronger and more intelligent in the things of the LORD. If we become hesitant, afraid, or wayward, we pour water on His work, we will not be all that He wants us to be.
Quenching is the opposite of grieving. Quenching is not doing what He wants us to do. Grieving is doing what He does not want us to do.
Let’s keep the fire of our love to Christ burning brightly.
(John 14:16)
Aug. 7, 2009