Friendship is an amazing thing. Whether it is with your siblings, online friends, or real-life friends. Here are a few Bible verses about friendship:
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
— John 15:12-13
These verses are Jesus talking to his disciples. Verse 12 says to love each other as Jesus loved you. Jesus is commanding us to. This is a straightforward thing. We should love each other like Jesus. Verse 13 is not straightforward. You don’t necessarily have to die for your friends. This verse talks about loving your friends sacrificially. Sacrificing your time to be with them instead of doing things. The best love, Verse 13 says, is sacrificial love. You should also be loyal to your friends. Loyal though fights, rifts in your friendship, and other things.
“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
— Joshua 1:5
We should be loyal in our friendships like Jesus is with us. Jesus loves us no matter what. He loves us when we sin against him. He loves us when we aren’t the prettiest in our relationship(s) and in our relationship with him. Jesus will never forsake us or leave us. Jesus will always be our loyalist friend. Jesus will always be with us.
We can pick our friends. We have the gift of free choice. We should pick godly friends who build us up. As friends, we should build each other up, not degrade them.
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,”
— Hebrews 10:24 ESV
Friends are also there for you to lean on when you are hurting, in your valley of despair, and when you are happy. They cry with you, laugh with you, and just sit there and listen to you.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:28
As sinful people, we all mess up. We all sin and constantly fall short of God. We will hurt our friends, but we should always apologize and ask for forgiveness and even if your friend hurt you, and they didn’t apologize; you should forgive them anyway. I know it is hard, I have been there, but it is so much easier to go through life not holding grudges.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
— Ephesians 4:32
Even if we pick friends who don’t believe in God. It is our job, as believers, to tell them about God and his free gift of grace. You don’t necessarily have to though.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
— Matthew 28:19
Let’s Pray
Lord God,
You who loved everyone, even your enemies. Help us to love like you. Help us also to be friends to the friendless like you were the hope to the hopeless. Help us also to love our enemies and love sacrificially. Sacrificing our time, our talents, and our lives to serve you and help others. Lord, help all of us to be friends to each other, stirring up one another. Help us also to understand our friends, know when they need a hug, know when they need us to sit and be, know when to talk with them.
In Jesus’s name, we pray,
Amen.
Songs about friendship:
This is beautiful ✨
So lovely! Thank you for sharing ❤️