Jesus, Friend of Sinners
Jesus. A comforter, a peacemaker, and a friend. Specifically, a Friend of sinners. You and I are broken, corrupt people who are in need of a savior, and because of the first coming of Christ, we have one. We have access to a relationship with our Creator and that can never be taken away from us.
God shows His unwavering love for us through Jesus’ incarnation. He sent His one and only Son down from a perfect Heaven to a fallen and broken earth in the form of a human infant. Jesus grew up and experienced every emotion, temptation, and struggle that we experience, yet He was sinless. He subjected himself to death on a cross, despite knowing that we are and always will be sinful people. We know that to be true because of Romans 3:23-24 which says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” That kind of infinite love is unfathomable for our finite brains to comprehend. But that’s the kind of love that we receive from our Friend.
Jesus is waiting for us. He wants so badly for us to know Him, recognize His presence and accept the available help and love that He offers us. Luke 19:10 tells us, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” That’s us! We are the lost! And we have a friend and a helper available when we are ready to bring Him into our lives. First, though, we have to realize and humbly accept the fact that we are lost and broken. We are the sinners that Jesus wants to befriend. In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul says, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst.” Paul so humbly recognizes his imperfections and sins. Hopefully, we can all do the same. Recognize your need for a savior and let Him into your life. Open up your heart and your hands and receive Him. His Spirit is readily available, so go ahead and let Him in.
So, when we accept Jesus as our Friend and Savior, what are we then called to do? During the Great Commission, Jesus gives us, His followers, a mission. In Matthew 28:19-20 he commands us, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We are sent. Jesus tells us to go and share the good news that we have received with people all around us. How cool is it that the Lord entrusts us to be used by Him to share the gospel? It is, after all, the greatest news of all time so why would we not want to share it?!
Not only are we to share the news, we are also called to live it out in our everyday lives. Something that I pray a lot for is to be set apart. That I would not conform to the pattern of this world, (Romans 12:1) but that I would look different. That I would look like Christ and fully allow sanctification to take place in my life. I love 1 Timothy 4:12, which says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” Lead by example, while striving to look like the one true example, Jesus Christ.
There is a beautiful song written by a band called the Casting Crowns and it’s titled, “Jesus, Friend of Sinners.” In that song, there is a lyric that I consistently pray over myself and those around me. “Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours.” I believe that prayer can change our lives. When we seek to see the world as He does, we can fully and truly be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Challenges:
Go and make disciples. Just as Jesus tells us in Matthew 28. Our mission is to spread the Kingdom to those around us. To live our lives to bring glory to the Lord in all that we do.
Acknowledge your need for a Savior. It’s really easy to go throughout our days focusing on ourselves and what we can do to make ourselves better. But the truth is, only God can make us better. Once we recognize that, we can fully invite Him into our lives and accept the help and love that He offers.
Invite the Lord in. Pray that you would be able to fully step into the purpose and calling God has on your life and that He would reveal to you the areas where you can grow and look more like Christ.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for today! Thank you that you are a friend of sinners. That we have availability for a relationship with you and the opportunity to learn from you. Thank you for bearing our burdens and dying the death that we all deserve, despite knowing that we would still be sinners. There is no love like your love! Lead us in the way that looks like you. May we live our lives striving to follow your example and sharing the gospel with everyone around us. I pray that we would walk in obedience to where you are calling us and that we would boldly step out in faith to bring you glory. We love you and we praise you. In Jesus’ name! Amen!