Having godly friends who influence you positively is something to be grateful for. Such friendship will help you preserve yourself from destructive traits and habits. These friends will serve as your conscience and guardian angels in the flesh.
How do you know if your set of friends now is worth keeping? Or what are the traits that you should look for in friends you ought to stick with?
Check out these qualities of a godly friendship, and find out if you share them with your BFFs.
1. You help each other grow in faith and knowledge of God.
Your friendship is definitely God-centered if you and your friends encourage each other to get deeper in your relationship with Christ. It can include attending church and Bible study sessions together, sharing daily devotions, and praying together.
Sharing daily devotions with each other has been mentioned in no. 1. It means that you and your friends spend regular Quiet Time with God, which involves praying, worshipping Him, and meditating His Word. Good Christian friends make it a habit to encourage each other by sharing what they have learned from their personal time with the Lord.
3. You encourage one another to use talents and skills to serve God.
You would also know that you have a godly friendship when you encourage each other to use your God-given talents and gifts in serving others through a ministry. There are different kinds of ministries organized by Christian churches, and they need volunteers. If you and your friends are interested in being used by God and you want to serve Him together, then it is an ideal friendship indeed.
4. You pray for each other.
A godly friendship will not be complete without praying for each other. You are not only friends, but you belong to one spiritual family. For this reason, you include each other in your prayer, believing that it is the best thing you can do for someone you care about. You may be limited to help your friends, but you know that God can do anything, and He knows the best for them.
5. You pray with each other.
Aside from praying for your friends, you also take time to pray with them. It is not only during mealtime or whenever you are at church. Whenever one of you is going through something, such as sickness or a problem, you pray altogether wherever you are.
6. You uphold trust and loyalty.
A godly friendship is also characterized by trust and loyalty. You know how to keep each other’s secrets and will do everything to protect your friends. Even at times when everyone is against your friends, you are willing to stand by their side. Not that you tolerate their mistakes, if there are any, but you choose to remain with them no matter what.
7. You do not tolerate each other’s wrongdoings.
In connection to no. 6, godly friends do not tolerate the wrongdoings of each other. When you know that your friend is at fault, you rebuke them even if they get hurt. As 1 Corinthians 13:6 says, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” For this reason, you rather want your friends to get angry at you for pointing out their mistake than pretend that you support them for what they did.
8. You correct each other with love.
However, even in rebuking each other, love is still evident in a godly friendship. You correct each other with gentleness, making sure that the person will not feel condemned. This kind of friendship is not only after having good times together. Instead, you understand that you have to put up with each other to grow together. It involves making sure that your characters will be grounded on divine truth.
9. You give without expecting anything in return.
Good friends are generous to each other in terms of resources, service, and time. You do not hold back in sharing what you have with your friends because of love. Then, when you give or do something for those persons, you do not wait for the favor to be returned. Your generosity is simply an expression of your affection for them.
10. You are always available to help each other.
Of course, godly friends do not only stay with each other when everything is alright. Whenever you know that your friends need help, you are willing to go out of your way or leave what you are doing just to be by their side. Your desire to help them is genuine, urgent, and intentional.
11. You motivate each other to change for the better.
A godly friendship intends to help each person become a better version of themselves. Therefore, it involves having an honest evaluation of each other and coming up with goals to improve together. There is accountability between you and your friends.
12. You discourage vices and other bad habits.
Concerning no. 11, you ought to help each other get rid of destructive habits, such as drug addiction, alcoholism, pornography, gambling, and smoking. Aside from the fact that these habits can ruin one’s future, you know that these are not pleasing to God.
13. You check on each other.
Godly friends are genuinely concerned about the welfare of each other. Therefore, you do not forget to check on them from time to time, especially when they go through something. You take care of each other like a real family and watch each other’s back.
14. You do not compete with each other.
There is no competition in a pure, godly friendship. Instead of seeing your friends as rivals, you want them to be successful and happy. You would not be jealous when they surpass your accomplishments or when they become more popular than you.
15. You genuinely celebrate each other’s success.
Since you do not consider each other as competitors, you can sincerely be happy for your friends whenever they achieve something great. You do not feel bitter, envious, or insecure. It is because you understand that every person has their own timetable for success.
16. You defend each other.
Whenever you hear someone backstabbing your friends, you do not join them or just remain silent. Instead, in a controlled manner, you rebuke these gossiping people. Also, you only say positive things about your friends in public and speak on their behalf when they are not around to defend themselves. However, of course, you avoid arguing or fighting those people criticizing them.
17. You do not engage in gossiping.
A godly friendship avoids what God hates–and that includes slander. Even when no one else is around, both of you decide to honor God with your speech by avoiding negative talks against other people.
18. You forgive each other.
Of course, even godly friends could have misunderstandings at times. However, instead of letting pride completely burn their bridge, they choose to be humble and forgive each other. It is because grace, which God demonstrated towards us Himself, is a powerful element when there is love.
For Keeps
Having godly friends is like finding a large chest of gold. They are a great treasure that is worth keeping even until old age. Once you have found such friends, make sure to value them. They would not only influence you to be a better person, but they would also help you stay faithful to God.
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Blessings.