Friends are a precious commodity. God understands this. The Bible has much to say about our friends and the type of friends we keep.
1 Corinthians 15:33: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” Sometimes in the company of others we find the quality of the conversation degrades. This is where we can choose to raise the level of conversation. Sometimes our company can insist on keeping the conversation at a low level. Sometimes the prudent thing to do is to part company at this point.
Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” You will find that those true friends are there for you in the good and bad times. Sometimes you can tell who your true friends are when things ‘go South’ in your life and you see who’s still standing with you. I guess part of the reason we have family as well is to have those people in our lives who will stand with us no matter what.
Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” We shouldn’t forget that one of the reasons for our friendships is so that we can help make each other better. Sometimes this can be painful. But we should be good enough friends that we can be truly honest with each other. Even though the honesty can hurt, when it’s meant to be helpful, it can allow us to focus on the areas where we need to improve.
Romans 12:5: “So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” As believers, the biggest family we are members of is the ‘Family of God’. Thinking that we can be islands unto ourselves runs counter to the hope and will of God for us. He knows that we need each other. We’re all connected in some way to each other. We share in each other’s hurts, and also share in the joy of each other’s success. As any physical body, a missing member hurts the entire rest of the body.
Proverbs: “18:24 . A man [that hath] friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother.” Being friendly to others helps attract others to be our friends. What’s true of bees applies to people as well: you attract more with honey than vinegar. And, ultimately, we have a friend we can always rely on. Jesus offers to be that friend for us. He’s not only a friend, but a friend that is compared to one even closer than a family member. As far as friends go, He’s the best one to be ‘stuck’ with.
1 Corinthians 15:33: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
Proverbs 17:17: “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Proverbs 27:17: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
Romans 12:5: “So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”
Proverbs: “18:24 . A man [that hath] friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother.”