Proverbs 17:17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

I spent the morning with friends. We talked, we laughed, we ate, and we shared. We planned trips, we gave advice, and we prayed. Proverbs 27:9 says, “The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.” Friends are amazing. Really a gift from God. I am so blessed with the friends that God has placed in my path today.

I have friends that helped me get through my divorce. I have friends that helped me raise my boys. I have friends that brought me closer to God. I have friends that took me out and showed me how to have fun. Friends should add to your life and should encourage you to be a better person. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

I have also had friends that would find someone to dislike and then they would dislike them with all their heart.  I have had friends that pretended to be my friend but only wanted something from me.  I have had friends that were here for me during a season of prosperity but gone when the going got tough. I even had friends that encouraged me to do things I knew were wrong. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Don’t be fooled by those who says such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

What kind of friends are in your life today? Are they giving you heartfelt counsel and sharpening you to be a better person?  Or are they corrupting your good character? Proverbs 18:24 says, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Find that friend. That friend that will stick closer than a brother. Pray for that friend. Pray that God will bring that friend to you. Psalms 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.”

God will help you find good friends because he is an expert! Remember John 15:13…There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.  That is what Jesus did for you. He laid down his life so you can have eternal life with him. So go ahead and ask him for help. He will know what to do.

Lord thank you for my friends. Thank you for laying down your life for me. Help me to be a true friend to those you have put in my life. Amen.