Saturday after the Epiphany of the Lord
As Epiphany week draws to a close, John gives us a wonderful promise: “the one begotten by God He protects” (1 Jn. 5:18). God will protect us from sin and the effects of sin. God will keep sin out of our hearts, and He will keep us from being handed over to the Evil One. God does not do this by placing some sort of force-field around us, but by filling our hearts with His love so that even the idea of sin will grieve us.
All this week, we have seen the ways in which God inflames our hearts with His love. He comes to us in a way that is tailored to our natures and how we naturally fall in love. He comes to us in a personal way, as one we can touch and be with. He comes as One who will suffer with us, entering into the evil of the crucifixion. Christmas and Epiphany show us clearly that God is no innocent bystander in the drama of our salvation. Allow God into your heart, be begotten by Him, and go forward confident in His protection.