3 Important things the Bible says about Friendship
One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)
Do your friends point you to Jesus or away from him? Can you genuinely say that you have at least one Godly friend?
One of the things that we women value is friendship. When something great happens in our lives, we always call up our friends to let them know the great news. The same is true when something terrible happens to us.
Friends help us to see life from a different perspective. That’s why christians need to surround themselves with godly friends. Friends who will not only be there in our good and bad times but will also point us back to Jesus Christ.
For us to choose the right friends, we need to understand what the Bible says about friendship.
So let’s get to it:
1) Walk with Wise Friends
Proverbs 13:20 says, if we walk with the wise, we will become wise. But if we keep company with fools, we will become fools too. We need to be very careful about the people we call friends. If our friends do foolish things, it is only a matter of time before we also do them.
So do not choose friends just for the sake of it. Take time and ask God to give you the wisdom to choose friends who will help you become a better person.
2) Two a better than one
Some of us don’t find the idea of having friends very appealing. We prefer to keep to ourselves. While doing that helps you avoid many problems that come with having people around you, it is not the best thing to do. We were created for relationships, not just in marriage but also in friendship.
Jesus called himself our friend. Meaning God values friendship just the way we humans do.
Your friends are going to come through for you in challenging seasons. They will hold you up in prayer when all you want to do is quit. When you feel low, a good friend will help you rise again and continue walking in faith. (Ecclesiastes 4:9)
You will be there for each other in good and bad times.
3) Gossip Separates Good Friends
Most friendships end because of gossip (Proverbs 16:28). More especially for women. We always want to know what is happening in other people’s lives. At times it not in bad faith, but even then, things may not go as expected.
When your friend shares with you a secret, let it remain a secret. Don’t go telling other people about your friend. And avoid making friends with people who love to gossip. They will gossip about you to other people just the way they gossip about others with you.
Let us be like Jonathan, who watched out for David, his friend, even though his father was after David’s life. When someone comes to you with gossip about your friend, be wise in handling the situation.
All in all:
It is important to turn to God for help when choosing friends. Doing so will enable us to avoid a lot of problems that crop up because of wrong friendships.
A little leaven leavens the whole bread, so you need to be careful about your friends. And always strive to protect your friendship through prayer and proper communication.