What Is True Friendship?
Proverbs 27:6 Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
*When a friend is close enough to me to know that there’s something in my life that needs to be worked on, I should be grateful, rather than hurt and offended. That’s what true friends are for; they are to call me higher in my spiritual walk.
As we look around at our churches, our families and our friends, we see that many of us are dying from lack of love.
* “And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.” Matthew 24:12
WHAT IS TRUE FRIENDSHIP
Friendships take: Time- Energy-Emotion
Investment!
BEST FRIENDS: Are the people in life that make You Laugh a little louder, Smile a little Brighter, and live a little better.
Real and true friendship involves freedom of choice, accountability, truth, and forgiveness.
Peter and Jesus give us this example: Peter, afraid for his life after Jesus is led away from the Garden of Gethsemane, denies knowing Jesus (John 18). As He is led away by His accusers, Jesus casts a look toward Peter that says, “I knew you would deny Me, and I forgive you” (John 21).
*Real friendship looks at the heart, not just the “packaging.
*Genuine friendship loves for love’s sake, not just for what it can Get in Return.
*True friendship is both challenging and exciting. It risks, it overlooks faults, and it loves unconditionally, but it also involves being Truthful, even though it may hurt.
*Genuine friendship, also called “agape” love, comes from the Lord. The Lord Jesus calls us His friends and He laid down His life for us (John 15).
“A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.” Proverbs 27:19
* Just like looking at yourself in the mirror, God can see what is in your heart. He sees everything and he knows if your heart is truthful.
The main ingredient that will bind a friendship not only through this life, but also throughout eternity is Jesus.
The Bible tells us “A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Who would stick closer than a brother or sister? ***Jesus, of course! He transcends even our earthly family relationships.
***5 Traits of True Christian Friends
So, what does a true Christian friendship look like? Let’s break it down into traits that are easy to identify.
1. Christian Friends Love Sacrificially!
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
*Jesus is the finest example of a true Christian friend. His love for us is sacrificial, never selfish.
*Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
By valuing your friend’s needs above your own, you’ll be on your way to loving like Jesus. In the process, you’ll likely gain a true friend.
2. Christian Friends Accept Unconditionally!
Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
*We discover the best of friendships with brothers and sisters who know and accept our weaknesses and imperfections.
If we’re easily offended or hold on to Bitterness, we’ll have a hard time making friends.
3. Christian Friends Trust Completely! Proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
*This proverb reveals that a true Christian friend is trustworthy, indeed, but emphasizes a second important truth as well. We should only expect to share complete trust with a few loyal friends. Trusting too easily can lead to ruin, so be careful about putting your confidence in a mere companion.
4. Christian Friends Keep Healthy Boundaries!
*If you feel smothered in a friendship, something is wrong. Likewise, if you feel used or abused, something is amiss. Recognizing what’s best for someone and giving that person space are signs of a healthy relationship.
**We should never let a friend come between us and our spouse. A true Christian friend will wisely avoid intruding and recognize your need to maintain other relationships.
5. Christian Friends Give Mutual Edification!
*True Christian friends will build each other up emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Friends like to be together simply because it feels good.
*We receive strength, encouragement, and love. We talk, we cry, we listen. But at times we also have to say the difficult things our dearest friend needs to hear.
Yet, because of the shared trust and acceptance, we are the one person who can impact our friend’s heart, for we know how to deliver the hard message with truth and grace.
I believe this is what Proverbs 27:17 means when it says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
My hope is that these five traits will show you areas that may need a little work in your effort to build stronger friendships. But if you don’t have lots of close friends, don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember, true Christian friendships are rare treasures.
They take time to nurture, but in the process we grow more Christ like.
Do you need a friend? God wants to be your true friend. Are you longing for companionship? God is always with you (Hebrews 13:5).
Who do you know who needs a true friend today? God wants you to befriend others. He calls us to be His hands and feet in a world starving for true friendship.
My actions / responses are an outpouring of what is in my heart. Does my heart overflow with the Holy Spirit or is flesh still the owner?
God – show me the areas of my heart that need to be crucified for you.
Father, My heart is yours. Help me to be the Christian you have made me to be. My mind and heart need to be in sync, and with your guidance and encouragement, mold me to be who you want me to be. I am yours! Father, help me be a reflection of you to my friends and all others I come in contact with. Lord, I am not perfect and will never live up to You. However, you set the perfect example here on earth and provided us with a roadmap of how we are supposed to act. Help me become more like you in my daily actions. Thank You for my current and past friends that have helped shape me to the man I am this day. Thank You for my Truest Friend-my friend and wife Laura. What a blessing life is to have Friends!!! Amen
What a friend we have in Jesus..!!!!!!!