Friends are amazing! I think we can all agree with that. Especially when they respect you, are kind-hearted, have a good sense of humor, can laugh and cry with you, and are there so you can rant about all your ups and downs… the list could go on. Friends are our chosen family!
Choosing godly friends
While all of that seems perfect, sometimes we need a friend who won’t be afraid to correct us when we are wrong instead of turning a ‘blind eye’ to the situation. We need a friend who will love us at our worst and stick closer to us than a brother (Proverbs 18:24); we need a godly friend who will encourage us in every good way possible (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Why are godly friendships so vital to have? Well, Paul put it very simply in 1 Corinthians 15:33 where he said, “For bad company corrupts good character.” Trust me, we have all seen this statement be true if not in our own lives, then in the lives of those around us, be it friends or not. Proverbs 22:24-25 says, “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.”
God made us so that we need friendships in our lives, and good friendships can make a difference. Did you know that God can use the friendships that we have as an encouragement to those around us and to build on our relationship with him; he can use the friendships in our lives in so many ways! Isn’t that so cool?
Friendships and close relationships are all about building each other up and supporting each other NO MATTER WHAT!
Proverbs 17:17 says “A friend loves at all times.” This means loving your friend no matter what, even if… It also means being there for your friends no matter what, even if… It’s being able to know you can laugh hysterically with a friend about absolutely nothing and then 5 minutes later have a deep, meaningful conversation and it’s not awkward! That’s what friendship (godly friendship) is about! It is about encouraging and building up each other when we stumble.
When God created us he created us for a relationship – a relationship with God himself first and then with each other. God knows the desire we all have to be known and loved, and he made us for fellowship. When it comes to creating lifelong friendships, friendships that will bring glory to God, we need to look at what the Bible says about godly friendships. Some verses include Proverbs 12:26, Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 27:17, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, and John 15:13.
Being a godly friend
While all these verses help guide us in choosing our friends wisely, we need to keep in mind that we too should be good, godly friends to those around us. We can do this by “Doing to others as we would want them to do to us” (Luke 6:31). By “Loving each other as God has loved us because there is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for one’s friends” (John 15:12-15). That is exactly what Jesus did for you, for me, and everyone else!! Philippians 2:3, Galatians 6:2, James 4:11, and Colossians 3:12-14 are all just some ways in which we can become good, godly friends to those around us.
In the past week, the topic in my youth was godly friendships and this verse in Galatians 6:1 stood out to me. It says, “Dear brother and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”
When we see another Christian who is battling or in the wrong, we should help them gently, humbly, and with love, and not in a way that will belittle them, or in a way that will demotivate them.
In Galatians 5, Paul says how a Christian can walk a good walk of faith, by the spirit. Now in Galatians 6, Paul begins to describe and tell us how groups of Christians can live in Christ, doing what pleases him together. Isn’t that GREAT news? Now it doesn’t mean that we must go backward in our walk of faith to help a friend and encourage them. We can do this through our daily actions, or even by praying for them. There are so many ways we can help and encourage others; even sitting in silence just as Job’s friends did (Job 2:11-13) can help comfort a friend who is facing any sort of trials. When we are stuck or unsure of what to do or even just need someone our age, someone we trust to talk to, we have our
friends to walk this walk of faith with us!
I want to share a great example of this type of friendship. A few months back I felt as if I was stationary, as if I wasn’t moving or walking forward in my walk of faith. I had a very distant feeling and even though I knew God was there, I felt so far away from him. I spoke to a very close friend about what I was feeling and asked her to pray for me and it turned out that she was going through the same feelings. I truly believe that God works in such wonderful ways, and because we trusted each other and spoke to each other about what we were facing, we were able to encourage, pray and help each other out.
Live it out!
We should make it a daily routine to pray to God and ask him to be present in our friendships and draw us together in a deeper community with one another towards greater unity with him. May we be patient, kind, and loving friends who forgive freely just as God through Christ forgave us, and may God’s light shine in our friendships giving glory to him through all we do, say, and think.