We need friends. But more than that, we really need godly friends. These are the friends who help us grow our faith and lead us closer to God. All of us need at least one friend like this. Life is tough and we need people there to encourage, support and walk with us. Godly friends are the kind of friends who are there for us through ‘all kinds of weather’. Whatever we’re going through, good or bad, we can rely on them to be going through it with us. But they’re also the kind of friends who’ll tell us when we’re doing things that are taking us out of God’s presence, or leading us further away from the kind of life we’re called to. They’re the ones who’ll be ‘speaking the truth in love’ so ‘we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ’ (Ephesians 4:15 NIV). Godly friends help us by being there, praying on our behalf, listening, guiding, sharing and sacrificing. Not only do we need to make sure we have godly friends around us, but we also need to make sure we’re working on becoming godly friends to others. Any kind of good relationship with another person needs commitment and sacrifice on both sides. So we need to be a godly friend back. The best way to grow at being a godly friend is to grow your friendship with God first. The closer you get to God, the better your friendships with others will be.
