How Can I be a Godly Friend?

by Maria Houpt

According to dictionary.com friendship is defined as “the emotion or conduct of friends.” Not very telling, is it? That led me to look up the definition of friend. It is defined as “a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection.” That is more what I was looking for! Let’s take it one step further now – a biblical friendship is one that is “based on a shared devotion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  

If we desire godly friendships, we first need to look to scripture to see what God’s word tells us a friend is. In the book of Proverbs, King Solomon tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” (27:17 NIV) and “A friend loves at all times” (17:17 NIV). The book of Ecclesiastes tells us, “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion” (4:9-10 NIV). 

So how do we put this into practice? How can we be a godly friend in the muck and mire of our everyday lives? 

1. Be trustworthy: a friend is someone we should be able to be open and honest with and share our deepest needs and darkest secrets with. A friend is someone we need to be able to trust with all of that! 

·A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends (Proverbs 16:28 NLT).  

2. Be an encouragement: encouragement supports doing the right thing – especially in difficult situations. Encouraging our friends helps to keep them motivated to continue to do good works. 

·Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV). 

3. Be prayerful: pray for your friends. Pray with your friends. Pray without ceasing. 

·Pray for each other… the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16 NIV). 

·Where two or more gather in my name, there I am with them (Matthew 18:20 NIV). 

4. Be reciprocal: now what in the world does that mean??? To me, it means if you want a friend you have to be a friend. It is as simple as that. If you want to be included, you need to include. If you want a friend who invites you to hang out, you need to do the same. If you want a friend who asks about and cares about your daily life, you have to ask and care about them, too. Want a friend to trust you with her heart? You need to share yours. 

·Be devoted to each other with mutual affection. Excel at showing respect for each other (Romans 12:10 ISV).  

We all need friends, whether we like to admit it or not. Some days it is easy and some days… not so much. Friendships take work from all persons involved, and it is so worth it when it is done right! My encouragement for you today is this – go and be the friend that you want them to be to you. Put in the effort. Be trustworthy. Be an encourager. Be prayerful. Be reciprocal. You won’t regret it.