What kind of friends should I have?
Here's the answer:
We should be friendly to those who don’t believe in Jesus, but our closest friends should be other Christians.
Proverbs 12:26 says, "Godly people are careful about the friends they choose. But the way of sinners leads them down the wrong path." We often become like the people we spend the most time with. If our closest friends are not Christians, they will be making foolish choices and doing things that displease God, and we will be tempted to go along with them. Proverbs 22:24–25 gives an example of this: "Don’t be a friend with anyone who burns with anger. Don’t go around with a person who gets angry easily. You might learn his habits. And then you will be trapped by them."
We should still be friendly and kind to those who don’t know Jesus. We want them to see God’s love in us! But they should not be our best and most trusted friends.
When we choose close friends who are wise and love God, we can help each other as we grow in our faith and learn to obey God’s commands. We can pray for one another and encourage each other to love and serve God more (Proverbs 27:9). We can have fun together without disobeying God’s Word. Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times. He is there to help when trouble comes." A friend like this is a treasure worth more than gold!
If you need friends like this in your life, you can pray and ask God to send you some. That’s a request He will be happy to answer!
Bible Truth
"Do not be joined to unbelievers. What do right and wrong have in common? Can light and darkness be friends?" (2 Corinthians 6:14).
"Anyone who walks with wise people grows wise. But a companion of foolish people suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20).
