FriendshipSample

Week 5: Jesus, a Friend of Sinners

Monday: Jesus, Friend of Sinners 

SOAP: 1 Timothy 1:15

This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them!

Devotion:

The Gospels are filled with examples of Jesus getting in trouble for the kind of company He liked to keep. He defended sinful women, ate meals with tax collectors, and hung out with the poor, diseased, and marginalized. Jesus was a friend to people who hurt His reputation and did not deserve His friendship—people like us. He came to save sinners, and we are all certainly included in that group. 

Paul’s surprising statement to Timothy should remind us of our own posture—we are not better than the kind of people Jesus hung out with, we are exactly the same! When we accept Christ’s free gift of grace, we have every reason to humble ourselves and admit that we are no better than the people we call sinners. There is no room for pride or self-righteousness when we honestly assess our situation. Christ became our friend when we did not deserve it, and our response should look like Paul’s: a life poured out for the sake of others. 

Prayer:

God, thank You for sending Your Son to be a friend to sinners like me. Thank You for seeking the lost and finding us. Help me to be that kind of friend to the marginalized around me. Amen.