What Does the Bible Say About Friendships?Sýnishorn

Finding Identity in Jesus Instead of Friends

For most of my childhood, I had this one best friend. We were locked at the hip. So, when I found out I hadn’t been invited to her 14th birthday party, I was devastated. Did I do something wrong? Did I not do enough to earn her friendship? I came home from school that day and, when I saw my mom, I cried immediately.

My mom looked at me, wiped the tears off my face, and said, “I know it might feel like you have nothing right now, but because you have Jesus, you actually have everything.”

Read Ephesians 2:1–10.

All of us are tempted to love the things of this world more than we love God. We often are obsessed with appearance, pleasure, success, and even friendships. We look to these things to find satisfaction, but we’re left empty because these things never last. Friends can come and go, success feels good only for a moment, and our appearance changes. Our hearts long to be filled by something that lasts forever. This satisfaction can only be found in Jesus. Because of Jesus, we have access to something far greater than all these things combined.

Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave to forgive our sins and offer us salvation. It’s because of this gift, that we can stop looking toward the world to find our identity. While the things of this world come and go, His love is forever the same. We can be secure in our identity. He will never leave us, and He will never let us down.

God created His people to know Him and worship Him for all our days (Ephesians 2:10). We have worth because we have been created by a worthy God. We are loved because Jesus Christ took on flesh and paid for our sin so that we don’t have to.

My mom's encouragement that day was profound. When my identity is rooted in Jesus, I have everything.

Friendship is good, but let’s quit measuring our worth by what our friends think of us, and instead measure our worth by what the creator of the universe thinks. He says you are His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)! When you feel like you are on the outskirts of a friendship, remind yourself that the king of heaven and earth has invited you into the inner circle of His presence for eternity.

When you feel like you have nothing, remind yourself that, because you have Jesus, you actually have everything.

Questions

• Reflect on a time when you felt hurt by a friend. Did you allow that to impact your value and worth? Why or why not?
• In which ways have you placed your identity or worth in your friendships rather than in Christ?
• How does knowing you have been created by God and for God impact your identity and confidence?