Happy Valentine’s Day.
You may be thinking…great, another post about love. I am sorry to disappoint you. Today, I want to write about…friendship. Yes, you read that correctly. Friendship on Valentine’s Day.
Today, I talked to my best friend Jonathan. We’ve been best friends for well over two decades. Almost every morning, we check in with each other for the purpose of shared laughter, prayer, and life updates. As a busy pastor, it is important and vital to my health to have a friend like Jonathan. Our children roll their eyes as we call each other, “BFF.” Ask someone young to define that acronym.
Do you have a true friend? In this busy and high-tech world, friendship still matters. I’m not speaking of the inflated number of friends on your Facebook page. I’m speaking of genuine friendships that outlast fads and facades.
There is much wisdom found in the book of Proverbs. This book is full of comparisons between common images and life’s most important truths to be gained. We place Solomon as the main author of the collection of wise statements. Here is one of my favorites…
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17, ESV
There is much wisdom found in developing and maintaining true friendships. Proverbs even proclaims some friendships stick closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Jim Townsend in his book, How to be a Best Friend Foreverwrites, “Life is simply better when we are with others, and worse when we are isolated. God designed us to be connected, and life breaks down when we are not.” Wisdom is found in both choosing the right friends as well as being a good friend to others. Life on this earth is too short to live in loneliness. In the local church, there are opportunities for friendships to blossom and grow deep in time. A healthy church will serve like a faith family! Dave Zuleger states, “The family of God runs deeper than our physical families because we are connected not simply by the blood pumping through our veins, but by the blood of Christ spilled on the cross.” My prayer is for your life to have wonderful friendships on this side of heaven.
Jesus is THE friend of sinners. Is it possible to have a friendship with the Lord? In James 2:23, we find these words, and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. In His earthly ministry, Jesus was mocked as a, “friend of sinners” by the Pharisees (Matthew 9:11, 11:16-19). The leaders made the comments as an attack on His reputation, yet it served to enhance the mission. Jesus came to befriend sinners; not to join with them in their sin, but to rescue them from their sin (1 Timothy 1:15). Jesus humbled Himself as a servant, taking on human flesh so that He could both sympathize with our weakness and die in our place (Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 4:15, Romans 5:6). He came to redeem. He came to conquer your loneliness with His everlasting love and unending friendship.
You can have that kind of friend on this Valentine’s Day.
I close with words from one of my favorite hymns.
Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! lover of my soul;
friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.
Jesus! what a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;
tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
He, my strength, my vict’ry wins.
Jesus! what a help in sorrow!
While the billows o’er me roll,
even when my heart is breaking,
He, my comfort, helps my soul.
Jesus! what a guide and keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
storms about me, night o’ertakes me,
He, my pilot, hears my cry.
Jesus! I do now receive Him,
more than all in Him I find;
He hath granted me forgiveness,
I am His, and He is mine. – J. Wilbur Chapman, 1910.
Dave Snyder, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Pensacola
dsnyder@fbcp.org
Local Pulse Editor’s Note:
Dave Snyder is a part of our Community Voices series. This dynamic group of Pensacola dwellers is dedicated to driving positive change in our city. They inspire progress and foster a stronger, more connected community through shared experiences, expert insights, and thoughtful perspectives on impactful topics.
