Lenten Series: In Need of The Helper
Lent is a liturgical observance and season of reflection; not a biblical mandate. It is simply a time to remind ourselves and appreciate the abundant grace of Christ’s saving work on the cross. It is a time to press in deeper in submission to Christ’s authority as we prepare our hearts to celebrate, with exceedingly great joy, the resurrection that awaits every believer and follower.
In our Lenten daily devotionals, we will focus on our spiritual needs and desires and how the Helper is our Gift for strength and success if we will bow in greater submission to the authority of our King and the terms of His Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit.
Reflection: Why Do I Need the Helper?
Digging for Truth: We do not know a great deal about Jesus during his childhood or his experiences prior to asking John to baptize him. Joseph raised Jesus and he was a carpenter; so, Jesus likely worked as an apprentice with him. But, when Jesus was baptized by John his work changed. Scripture teaches the Holy Spirit made his home in the heart of Christ’s bodily temple; this is called the anointing. From then on, Jesus—-the Anointed One—was focused on sharing the gospel message of salvation to the empty and broken souls around him. The Helper empowered everything Jesus was sent to do; so, Jesus was quick to instruct his disciples not to try to live or teach the gospel in their own strength. This is also our lesson to learn.
Grace for the Heart: In our passage for today, the apostles are instructed to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit who will help them be effective witnesses of everything they have seen and learned from Jesus. I am so grateful the Helper gives us the ability to witness to the Truth as we communicate with the people around us. All God’s children need the Helper, because we are called to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and to the Holy Spirit, teaching the Word of God, and to be witnesses of this Good News with our lives (Mat 28:19-20). Submission to the ways of Christ will bring peace with God. Broken and lost souls await the Good News we are sent to share and the Helper opens the door and brings the anointing!
Acts 1:3-11 NLT 3 During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with [in] water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
The Ascension of Jesus
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Challenge: I pray for Christ’s followers across the globe to ask the Helper for opportunities to witness the Truth of salvation in Christ. Not only does the Good News bring a relationship with God, it is a whole new and righteous pathway for living. People do not need to remain wounded, broken, and empty in their souls, because the Holy Spirit is the Healer we carry. The Helper will open doors, bring opportunities, and help us become witnesses of this River of Life found only in Christ. God promised, “I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).
Prayer: Lord, thank you for making the Helper available so we can effectively tell people you are alive and you love them. We can passionately tell others about your goodness and the salvation you offer. Please create a hunger and thirst for righteousness within us and prompt us to ask the Helper to make us witnesses everywhere we go. In Jesus’ name. Amen.