[Life Of David] Four Attributes of God-Honoring Friendships Sýnishorn

Godly Friendships 

Do you remember your first friend? Who was the first person you called friend? Maybe you remember some of the things you learned together when you were little, like riding bikes together, climbing trees, and playing your favorite games. Many of us were not able to stay in touch with our first childhood friend, or our grade school friends, our middle school friends, our high school friends, our college friends. You maybe have grief in your heart over some friendships that are not in your life now. Something happened along the way and you got separated. Maybe your life got too busy and you did not have time to spend with them. Maybe you moved to another city or they moved to another city. Many things could have happened, many different scenarios for each of us. But to have those moments of friendship, those memories, is something really special to us. 

Good friendships make a difference in our lives. We feel a certain amount of loneliness when we do not have friends. We feel a desire to make friends when we move to a new place. God uses friendships in our life. 

We are going to use the friendship of David and Jonathan in the Bible as a guide for our devotional plan. I want you to think about the kind of friend you are and the kind of friends you have in your life right now, or maybe the kind of friends you need. A very important part of our spiritual journey is to have Christian friends. That is why it is important to be part of a church, to get involved in church events, fellowship, or small groups. These build friendships.

Christian friendship is often discussed in very loving terms through the Bible. As Christians, we are part of one body. We are brothers and sisters, united in love. We are to be united in spirit and of one mind, without selfishness or ambition, valuing others above ourselves. The apostle Paul talks a lot about godly friendships. As he was planting churches, he did so surrounded by many friends. He enjoyed the company of his friends. 

My prayer for you is that you may surround yourself with many good, godly friends and that you may also be a good, godly friend to others.