I have been so blessed with great friends in my life. Never before have I had so many wonderful, Godly, friends in my life at once! It has really enhanced my life. So today I pondered what the traits of a good friend look like and this is what I have come up with.
Loyal and dependable.
A good friend is someone you can count on and who you know will not desert you when you need something. These are the people who you know you could call in the middle of the night in a crisis. Who you know will stand by your side and give you their full support through it all.
Proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (NIV)
There in good times and in bad.
This goes hand-in-hand with being loyal and dependable. You don't want a friend who is only there for the good times and backs out when things get serious or you ask for their aid. They are not a true brother or sister. But I have also realized that there are those who do the opposite. By that I mean there are those who are in your face when they know there's something wrong, but otherwise are absent from your life. Probably more interested in the drama and action than they are interested in "being there for you."
Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (ESV)
Patient of our shortcomings.
None of us is perfect and there will always be times when we let others down. When our friends let us down, it is so crucial that we are able to understand and be patient with them. To be truly loving in response.
Matthew 18:15 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (ESV)
1 Corinthians 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (ESV)
Always bringing our attention back to Jesus.
This is arguably the most important aspect of a healthy, Godly friendship that there is. It is so crucial to have friends that always point us to Jesus when we can't see clearly. We need them to be strong when we are not and to compensate for our weaknesses. That is what the body of Christ is all about. We need to lovingly and diligently point one another to Christ. Find friends who love you enough to point you to the truth.
Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (NIV)
Loyal and dependable.
A good friend is someone you can count on and who you know will not desert you when you need something. These are the people who you know you could call in the middle of the night in a crisis. Who you know will stand by your side and give you their full support through it all.
Proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (NIV)
There in good times and in bad.
This goes hand-in-hand with being loyal and dependable. You don't want a friend who is only there for the good times and backs out when things get serious or you ask for their aid. They are not a true brother or sister. But I have also realized that there are those who do the opposite. By that I mean there are those who are in your face when they know there's something wrong, but otherwise are absent from your life. Probably more interested in the drama and action than they are interested in "being there for you."
Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (ESV)
Patient of our shortcomings.
None of us is perfect and there will always be times when we let others down. When our friends let us down, it is so crucial that we are able to understand and be patient with them. To be truly loving in response.
Matthew 18:15 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (ESV)
1 Corinthians 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (ESV)
Always bringing our attention back to Jesus.
This is arguably the most important aspect of a healthy, Godly friendship that there is. It is so crucial to have friends that always point us to Jesus when we can't see clearly. We need them to be strong when we are not and to compensate for our weaknesses. That is what the body of Christ is all about. We need to lovingly and diligently point one another to Christ. Find friends who love you enough to point you to the truth.
Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (NIV)
Proverbs 19:20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. (ESV)
Always seeking Jesus themselves.
If our friends aren't seeking Jesus' truth for themselves and just looking to correct us, they are bad news. We want to have friends who are constantly in the word and seeking Jesus with their whole heart. Who are looking to feed their spirits and not their flesh. Those are the friends that cannot help but build us up!
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (ESV)
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harms. (NIV)
1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (NIV)
Keep these things in mind when you are considering who your friends are and being a friend yourself. I will leave you with the words of the ultimate friend on friendship. The One who encompasses all these traits and more. The One who loved us so much that he laid down his life to pay the price of our shortcomings. Praise be to Jesus, friend to all!
John 15:12-15 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my FatherI have made known to you. (ESV)
Always seeking Jesus themselves.
If our friends aren't seeking Jesus' truth for themselves and just looking to correct us, they are bad news. We want to have friends who are constantly in the word and seeking Jesus with their whole heart. Who are looking to feed their spirits and not their flesh. Those are the friends that cannot help but build us up!
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (ESV)
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harms. (NIV)
1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (NIV)
Keep these things in mind when you are considering who your friends are and being a friend yourself. I will leave you with the words of the ultimate friend on friendship. The One who encompasses all these traits and more. The One who loved us so much that he laid down his life to pay the price of our shortcomings. Praise be to Jesus, friend to all!
John 15:12-15 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my FatherI have made known to you. (ESV)
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