CRUX Daily: Examine Your Friends

Read: Proverbs 18:24

Reflect: Good friends choose and pursue each other. Think about the friends you have now. Are you friends because you go to the same church or school? What would happen if either of you moved or stopped going to the same church or school?

Request (Prayer): God, show me how to pursue and choose my friends wisely.

The friends we have, play a very important role in our life. They share ideas with us, help us when we are dealing with something, and they are always there when we need them. Some may say, “a dog is a man’s best friend,” but I’m convinced the best friend is the one who stays with you through the thick and thin, until the very end. A true friend is someone who will be there for any and every little thing that is important to you. This model can both be said of the friends we should have and also of the friend that we should be.

I think a good example of a close friend is David and Jonathan. When David was running from Saul, Jonathan’s dad, he was there for him even through that. We all have friends, but do we have close friends that we can rely on who will help through it all. Do you want to know what a best friend look likes? A best friend is one who talks to you about Scripture, who points you to God, and who can help you along in your walk with God.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” What does that mean? As a piece of iron can sharpen a sword, so too does a close friend sharpen and better equip you to do work for the kingdom of God. Do you have a friend who does that for you? Are you a friend that does that for someone else? If you are truly going to call someone a friend, make sure that person actually is a believer and can help you in life. Ask yourself the question, “Do my friends lift me up or bring me down?” Do they point you to Christ or do they keep you away from Christ?