Friendship That Lasts Forever

The meaning of the word friendship has lessened over time. With the invention of social networking sites such as Facebook, many virtual friendships have been created that are shallow and meaningless. In a true friendship people enjoy spending time together, they trust one another, and ultimately their friendship is centered on Jesus Christ. In today’s culture this view has been twisted and turned into a superficial type of companionship, which is not the way God intended it to be. Simply put, true friends enjoy spending time together. Whether the time is spent taking walks, having hour long phone conversations, serving together in the church, or even shopping at the mall, friends will value the time they have with one another. Two people who are friends typically (though not always) have many of the same likes and interests. For example, friends who both enjoy sports and the outdoors will have many opportunities to enjoy spending time together. For camaraderie to succeed, the friends must enjoy one another. Along with enjoying each other’s company, friends should also trust one another. Sadly, many people are not comfortable sharing their sincere thoughts, feelings, and convictions with even their best friends because they fear gossip and rejection. Proverbs 16:28 warns us that, “a gossip separates close friends,” and this is shown to be true in our society. A person should also feel that they can trust their friend to give them godly advice and always tell them the truth. Often, when people are confronted about their sin, bad habits, etc., they become defensive and question whether or not truth is being told, but Proverbs 27:6 encourages that, “wounds from a friend can be trusted.” An enjoyable and trusting friendship should also be centered on Christ, not a person’s own well being. In a great number of friendships today the two people are in it for themselves, when actually, the main goal should be to serve one another and ultimately, Christ. Although it