May 10th, 2022

My Perfect Friend, Jesus

2 Timothy 4:16-17 NIV

"At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth."

      If you're reading this, it's clear that you've chosen to take a leap of faith and follow our beloved Christ. While this is such an amazing time in your life, it can be one of the hardest ones too. Here's why: not everyone believes in Christ and not everyone believes in the lifestyle that comes along with being devout Christians. As a result, you might find people heading for the door, never to be seen again. I have personally endured this suffering. Choosing to follow Christ more earnestly than I had before marked one of the loneliest periods I had ever walked through. I felt like no matter what direction I turned in, the help and comfort I had sought from people were nowhere to be found. While it may be easy to blame our friends for deserting us, they're only human. Human nature tells us to run from things we don't understand. Then one day my beloved, life-long friend of faith (and about the only friend I had left) presented me with an idea to ponder; Can you imagine Jesus walking with you everywhere you go? Because He does!

      While I normally would make this all about Paul's wisdom, I want to take a moment to admire Paul as a friend of faith. In this second letter that he wrote to Timothy, he reminded him that, while people may abandon him, the Lord will not. Kind of like how my friend reminded me that God is with me in everything, even if my friend (or family) circle is minute. Not only that, but he is there pouring his supernatural strength into our bodies when we are weak. He is our comforter in times of trouble. He is our counselor when we need someone to talk to. He is our protector when we are under fire. He is everything we could ask of an earthly friend and more! He is the perfect friend. When we devotedly walk with Christ, never wavering in our love for him, people will see. And through the light of the Lord shining within us, we might be able to not only recruit new friends of faith but new believers too.

Have you taken the hand of the Lord, yet, and entrusted him as your perfect friend?