December 7, 2022 - 1 John 2:1-2

“My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” 1 John 2:1-2 NLT

Jesus, the righteous one, we thank you that when we sin and ask for your forgiveness, you are right there to plead our case – marking it as paid. We praise you that you have paid the price for all of our sins. What an amazing gift you have given us. We are so eternally grateful. As we read through the instruction in the Old Testament that had to be followed to find atonement for sins, there was a lot that needed to be done. Then it needed to be done again and again. It wasn’t really enough to fully do the job. But Jesus, you came and shed your blood to pay the price for our sins once and for all. Your sacrifice was truly the perfect sacrifice. And what a sacrifice it was for you. You paid this price not only for our sins, but for the whole world. Everyone can have a chance to find forgiveness for their sins and spend eternity in heaven with you. We praise your name for making a way for this to be possible!

Jesus, just saying thank you is not enough. You deserve so much more than that from us. We want to fully commit our lives to you. Not just where it is easy, but we want to choose the hard path for you. We want to say no to our sinful desires and honor what you have asked from us. Help us to grow in walking this out. Holy Spirit, take us on a journey toward righteousness. We want to be more like Jesus. Transform us. Teach us how to overcome the desires of our flesh. Show us how to recognize and avoid the things that lead us down a road to sin. Thank you that you love to help us with this.

In Jesus name, amen.