Are you a good friend? I hope so. Good friends are one of the greatest gifts of my life. In fact, friendships are one of the greatest gifts of God’s creation. God designed and created us to be in relationships. Most of the time when people speak of relationships, they are talking about romantic relationships.
But, God created us not only for romance, but for bromance and all sorts of other friendships and relationships. In some ways, being a friend is just being you and being available. In other ways, friendship is active–you can be a friend by doing something for those whom you love. You need friends and your friends need you. Today, be a friend to someone who needs it.
Here are a few things you can do today to be a friend.
- Be a good influence. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.'” Be good company for someone you know today. Be the kind of person who doesn’t gossip or slander. Make a positive influence.
- Forgive someone. Friends do not let offenses get in the way of their relationships. Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Is there someone you need to forgive? Do it today. Don’t wait.
- Be present. Do you have a friend going through a hard time? Maybe their marriage is in shambles or they have sick family members. Remember Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has not one to help them up.” Pick someone up today.
- Get coffee. If you don’t drink coffee, get a coke or a Little Debbie. The coffee isn’t what matters, the fellowship matters. Go find a friend to laugh with today, “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.”
- Correct a friend. This one is hard, but sometimes the most friendly thing you can do is to correct a friend who is in error or sin. It is better to come from you in love than from someone else. Consider Proverbs 27:5-6, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, bu an enemy multiplies kisses.”
- Encourage someone. Make a call. Send a text. Write a card. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 urges, “Therefor encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Encourage someone today. In a world that is often filled with negativity, the power of a loving gesture can change someone’s day.
- Be accountable. I got a text from an old friend this morning making sure that I had done my workout today. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” By holding each other accountable, we are both getting better. Friends hold each other accountable.
- Be inconvenienced. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity,” is the advice from Proverbs 17:17. It is easy to be a friend when friendship is easy. But, your friends rarely need you most when it is convenient. Rob yourself of sleep, time, or money to be a friend. Go to them. You won’t regret it.
- Make a friendly gesture. Can you do something nice for someone you don’t know? Buy someone’s lunch. Take time to talk to the homeless guy on the corner and share Jesus. Send an email or a text message to an administrator at your kids school and let them know you prayed for them. Make a difference in the world today by doing something nice for someone.
Friendship is a gift from God. Friends mattered to Jesus. Jesus has called us his friends. He is indeed a friend born for adversity who sticks closer than a brother.
Imitate Jesus. Be a friend who is born for adversity and who sticks closer than a brother.
Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash
