MGD: Friend of Sinners

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

Shalom precious one, you are warmly welcome to Radio ACI

today for our morning glory devotion. The theme for today's

devotion is Friend of Sinners. Friend of Sinners. Written by

Pastor Emesis Amoapia of Harvest Chapel International Kumasi. Let us

kindly share a word of prayer. Gracious Father, we thank

you for the gift of life. As we begin our

day in your word, we pray that you open the

eyes of our understanding to behold wondrous things out of

thy law. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Let us kindly

take our confession from Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. Joshua

Joshua 1:8 Joshua 1:8

chapter 1 verse 8. This book of the law shall

not depart out of my mouth, but I shall meditate

in it day and night, that I may observe to

do according to all that is written in it. For

then I will make my way prosperous, and then I

will have good success. Amen. Friend of Sinners Friend of Sinners,

written by Pastor and Mrs. Amo Appiah. Our scripture reading

will be taken from Luke chapter 15, verse 1 and 2.

Luke 15:1

Luke chapter 15, verse 1 and 2, reading from the

Luke 15:1

New King James Version. Then all the tax collectors and

the sinners drew near to him to hear him. And

the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, This man receives sinners

and eats with them. May the Lord add his blessing

to the reading and hearing of his word. Thanks be

to God. Friend of Sinners Most of us prefer to

keep our lives clean and safe. When the working day finishes,

we close our doors, pull the curtains and retreat into

our comfortable circles. If we are honest, our churches often

become like private clubs. We surround ourselves with people who

talk like us, dress like us and agree with us.

We feel safe among the righteous. Meanwhile, just across the

street or over the wall of our houses, lives are perishing.

A marriage is quietly falling apart. An elderly neighbor sits

in the cold room with no one to speak to.

A young man down the road is slowly drowning his sorrows,

wondering if anybody would even notice if he were gone.

Perishing souls are outside, carrying the unbearable weight of living

without God. And all too often, we pass them by

on the other side of the road because their lives

look messy and complicated. Think of how different our Savior was.

In the Gospel of Luke, the religious elite stood back

with disgust, murmuring against him. Do you remember the accusation?

They said, this man receives sinners and eats with them.

They meant it as an insult. They thought it was

a scandal that a holy prophet would sit at the

same table with charlatans, fallen women and outcasts. But what

they meant as a slander remains the crowning glory of

the gospel. Jesus Christ is the friend of sinners. He

did not wait for broken people to clean up their

act before he sat with them. He did not preach

down at them from a safe moral distance. He stepped

right into their dust. He sat at their tables, listened

to their grief, touched their souls, and offered them living water.

Reaching a perishing soul rarely begins with a loud sermon.

Most often, it begins with an open door. It begins

with pulling out a chair at your table, pouring a

cup of tea and genuinely caring about the person in

front of you. Before people care what we believe about eternity,

they need to know we care about their soul today.

Let's look around our lives this morning. Who is the

person we have kept at arm's length because their life

is too untidy or awkward? Stop avoiding them. Ask the

Lord for the tender, fearless heart of Christ. Build a

bridge of genuine friendship. Invite them in and let them

see the kindness of the Savior living inside us. Amen.

Our memory verse for today will be taken from Luke 7,

Luke 7:34

verse 34. Luke 7, verse 34, reading from the King

Luke 7:34

James Version. The Son of Man is come eating and drinking.

And ye say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a wine barber,

a friend of publicans and sinners. The Son of Man

is come eating and drinking. And ye say, Behold, a

gluttonous man and a wine barber, a friend of publicans

and sinners. Amen. Let us kindly share a word of prayer. Father,

we thank you for your word today. We pray, Lord,

for a repentant heart. Forgive us, O God, for pushing

people away because we feel they do not belong to

our class. Grant us the grace to spread the gospel

to every dick and hurry. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

God richly bless you for being a part of today's devotion.

Join us once again tomorrow at the same time for

another time in his word. In the meantime, you want

to stay connected to Radio ACI today. Recommend it to

friends and loved ones as we build up our spiritual

journey together. Shalom and have a fruitful day. Amen.