A good friend

[logi bear]

Ecclesiastes 4:10-12
Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

God sets pretty high standards for friendship.

Proverbs 17:17 A good friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. NKJV

A true friend loves at all times. If you call them at 3 in the morning, the first words out of their mouth should be "Are you ok, what's wrong?" Not, "Its the middle of the night! This better be good!" They will love you when you're sick, they will love you when you've gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. A true friend will love you even in the middle of a fight.

Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor. NKJV

A true friend is humble, and will esteem their friend as more important than themselves. They will not be prideful, they will not boast to tear down their friends. They will not be condescending in any manner. They will not perceive themselves or their own possessions, goals, dreams, and accomplishments to be more important than their friends.

Colossians 3:12-13
Therefore, as [the] elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also [must do]. (emphasis added) NKJV

A true friend is long suffering. They are patient, and forgiving. Even as Christ forgives us for our hundreds of sins every day, a true friend will forgive, even when the other doesn't deserve it.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Good friends will build up and edify each other, not tear each other down.

Proverbs 16:28 A perverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends. NKJV

Good friends do not gossip, they keep each others secrets, and know when to keep their mouths shut. They don't spread rumors, they don't tell others your embarrassing moments, or about your secret crush. They keep it to themselves.

Proverbs 27:5-6 Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. NKJV

A True friend tells the truth even when it hurts. Sometimes it can be tempting to lie to a friend because you don't want to hurt their feelings, but this can lead to more damage in the long run. Both to the friend, and to the relationship. Even though its painful, its better to tell the truth.

Ruth 1:8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her mother's house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
Ruth 1:16-17 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” NKJV

True friends don't separate when the going gets tough. Instead they cling to each other, and become closer to each other than ever before through adversity.

1 Samuel 20:12-13
Then Jonathan said to David: "The LORD God if Israel is witness! When i have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you "may the the Lord do so may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father. NKJV

A true friend will even lay down their life for the other!

How many friends do you have that are like this? I can count all of mine on one hand. As can most people. And guess what, one of them is Jesus! In fact Jesus is the ONLY perfect friend.
Don't you want to be that special person in someone else's life, to be in that special group of people they can count on one hand? God certainly wants you to! In our quest to be conformed to His image, lets not forget the qualities of a true friend.