What is Friendships, friendships is not just about someone liking the same things you like, or have the same hobbies as us. We need to be picky as we need to choose friends who worship the Lord and live according to His standards.
What type of qualities should a good friend have :
A good friend must be loyal, kind-hearted, generous and be able to show love. A true friend must be courageous enough when we or they do something wrong that we can tell them what they are doing wrong. When we do wrong, our friends must be able to do the same. We need to be able to share that the Lord is not going to like what we are doing and that He doesn’t want us to be in harms way.
There are many good examples of solid friendships
David and Jonathan – 1 Sam 18:1
Jesus and his disciples – John 15 : 14, 15
What can you do to show that you are a friend
Show that you care and show commitment
Friendship involves commitment. A good friend feels that he has a responsibility towards you, and he really cares about you. This is commitment, of course this comes from two sides, and requires commitment from both friends. Remember to have a good friend, you must be a good friend. Ask yourself : – Am I willing to give myself, time to this friend? Is he a good friend? (Luke 6 : 31 Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.)
Be a good communicator
Talk about things that interest you both. Listen to what your friend says, respect his or her opinion. Praise and encourage your friends. Sometimes friends may need advice or even correction, and it may not always be easy to give it. A loyal friend will have the courage to talk about issues respectfully and help where they can. If you do not have the answers ask your parents or even your pastor for advice. (James 1:19 “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger”)
Have realistic expectations
The closer we get to a friend or our friends, more likely we will notice all their faults. Remember our friends are not perfect and neither are we. Therefore, we should never expect or demand total perfection, we must have grace for our friends and ourselves. The Bible says that we should forgive each other, (Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.) Don’t hold grudges, it’s not good for you.
It is true that we need to be careful with the friends we choose, but remember we need to bring people into the Kingdom of God. How we do this is show them God in us, by showing the fruits of the Spirit within us.
The questions you can ask are :
What type of friend are you looking for?
How can I be a good friend?
What does it require to build good friendships?
