Yesterday, John and I enjoyed having company over for dinner. John worked with me in the kitchen to keep the dishes done; trust me I kept him very busy! Having him help me was such a gift; he came along side me to make the work easier. He was such a helper!
In our passage today, we are reminded that Christ is our spiritual Helper. He never leaves us or forsakes us in the messes we make, because he knows we cannot be obedient without him. We could work ourselves into a spiritual frenzy and still never be ready for the Supper of the Lamb. Yet, Jesus stays right with us in the work of our salvation; helping us conform to the Word and live like him. Spiritual formation—embodied Truth—is all about obedience to the Word and Christ is our Helper.
1 John 2:1-6 Christ Our Helper
2 I am writing this to you, my children, so that you will not sin; but if anyone does sin, we have someone who pleads with the Father on our behalf—Jesus Christ, the righteous one. 2 And Christ himself is the means by which our sins are forgiven, and not our sins only, but also the sins of everyone.
3 If we obey God’s commands, then we are sure that we know him. 4 If we say that we know him, but do not obey his commands, we are liars and there is no truth in us. 5 But if we obey his word, we are the ones whose love for God has really been made perfect. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God: 6 if we say that we remain in union with God, we should live just as Jesus Christ did.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping me through my spiritual formation journey; please stay with me as I reach for spiritual maturity. Mold me and make me to live like you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.