Articles
The Blessing of Friendship
Few things in life are more valuable to us than our friends. In fact, life would be nearly unbearable without them. The people we call our friends help us in so many ways. They comfort us in difficult times, support us in our decisions, rebuke us when we are wrong, and take up for us when we have been hurt. The Bible makes it clear that we all need friends. However, friendship is not always easy. As with any relationship, friendship requires effort. The benefits of a faithful friend greatly outweigh the challenges that may come. Do we want godly friends -- those who will be with us through thick and thin? There are two main components to consider if we do: choosing good friends and being good friends.
How do we choose good friends?
We must use wisdom. Proverbs 12:26 says, “the righteous should choose his friends carefully.” Do we take these words to heart when we interact with people and make friends? We must use wisdom and care in choosing the people who we want to be closest to. We are warned in Proverbs 13:20 that “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” The exercise of wisdom is an absolute necessity when choosing our friends!
Not only must we use wisdom and discernment in choosing our companions, but we must be willing to avoid evil people. Read 1 Corinthians 6:14-17. The warning is “do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” Paul goes on to state that as God’s children, we must be different and separate from the rest of the world. Paul also reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 that there will be some people that we should turn away from. We can be corrupted by those who teach and practice falsehoods (1 Cor. 15:33). Solomon also sternly exhorts us saying, “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on” (Prov. 4:14-15). Be careful!
How can we be good friends?
Friendship is a commitment. In order to be a good friend, one thing we must do is commit to loyalty. “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Our friends need to know we care, and that we will be by their side come what may. Some “friends” are with us as long as things are going well, but a true friend sticks close through all the storms of life. Job realized that a true friend shows kindness, even “to him who is afflicted” (Job 6:14). The Contemporary English Version renders Proverbs 19:22 well: “What matters most is loyalty. It is better to be poor than to be a liar.” If we desire to have good friends and to be good friends, we must commit to being loyal.
Not only must we be loyal, but we must commit to being a good listener. We need to be constantly listening to God, firstly. We should always seek and listen to wise counsel (Prov. 5:7, 12:15). Thirdly, we must listen to our friends. We can save ourselves a lot of pain by listening better! Do we listen with intent to understand or simply to reply? “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him” (Prov. 18:13). A good friend must be “swift to hear and slow to speak” (James 1:19).
The last and most important word of advice in being a good friend is to commit to love. Not only is love commanded (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:34-40), it is practical and invaluable in our friendships! “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins’” (1 Peter 4:8). A true friend will always seek the best for his companions.
What a blessing it is to have good friends. We must never forget the value of those people upon whom we have relied, and we must always endeavor to repay that love by being the friends we ought to be. Consider the friends you have now. Be loyal to them, listen to them, and love them. Above all, thank God for the people He puts in our lives to help us on our road to heaven!
