Beginning today (and continuing every other third Sunday of each month), I am going to be presenting some lessons aimed to encourage and equip our youth.
We will begin this series by addressing the topic of “friends.” There may be no issue that has more relevance in their lives than this one.
What does God say about the topic of friends?
There is nothing wrong with having friends.
- The Bible is loaded with friends (ex: David and Jonathan, Paul and Timothy, Moses and Joshua, Ruth and Naomi).
- God made us social creatures (Genesis 2:18).
- There are many benefits to having friends (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
Beware of having bad friends!
- Beware of making friends with people who will try to corrupt your morals and lead you away from God (Proverbs 1:8-19; 13:20).
- Ammon was led down a dark path by an ungodly friend (2 Samuel 13:1-23).
- Let us not deceive ourselves into thinking that what happened to Ammon cannot also happen to us! See 1 Corinthians 15:33.
Pick good friends.
- Pick friends who are honest (Proverbs 27:6; Ephesians 4:15). Pick friends who will never shy away from giving you godly advice (Galatians 2:11-14).
- Pick friends who are encouraging (Romans 12:15; Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
- Pick friends who are respectful. Pick friends who will honor your decision to be a follower of Jesus. Pick friends who will put your best interest first (Philippians 2:3-4).
- Pick friends who are godly (Proverbs 27:9; 18:24). Pick friends who have the same morals and values that you do (Amos 3:3).
Conclusion:
Are you a friend of Jesus? Jesus certainly wants to be your friend (John 15:14).
