1) Safety Ecclesiastes 4:7-12

2) Encouragement/Support 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Galatians 6:1-4

3) Spiritual Growth Proverbs 27:15; Proverbs 27:6; Hebrews 10:24-25

1) We need to be in relationship with Christ.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." -John 15:1-5

"'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?' And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" -Matthew 22:36-39

"When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased. You see, when God reigns in our hearts, peace reigns in our friendships. Ultimate friendship will only be complete in heaven, but there is much we can enjoy now. The New Testament offers hope that our relationships can be characterized by things like humility, gentleness, patience, edifying honesty, peace, forgiveness, compassion, and love. Isn't it wonderful that God's grace can make this possible, even for flawed people in a fallen world? This hope challenges whatever complacency and discouragement we might have about our friendships because there is always more growth, peace, and blessing that God's grace can bring, right here and right now. The hope of the gospel invites us to a holy dissatisfaction with all of our relationships and encourages us to tackle the rewarding but difficult work of redemptive friendships." -C.S. Lewis

2) We need to be in community with others.

"If God really loved us, wouldn't he make our relationships conflict-free? I wish! But the fact of the matter is that the Lord's primary purpose in our life is redemption - the ongoing removal of sin from our heart. Nowhere is that sin more exposed than in a relationship, where a flawed person lives with a flawed person in a fallen world. When our sin, or our friend's sin, is exposed, we have two options: run away or lean in. Do you hide in shame, defend yourself, shift the blame, criticize needlessly or harbor bitterness? Or do you confess your sin, seek forgiveness, speak truth, grant mercy, and encourage one another? God's design is that the trials of redeeming friendships will test and strengthen your faith, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Don't run away from these trials. Lean in and rejoice, even though you don't feel like rejoicing!" -Paul Tripp

1) Constant/Loyal:

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

2) Honest:

"Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy." -Proverbs 27:5-6

3) Sacrificial:

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." -John 5:13

4) Encouraging:

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." -Ephesians 4:29

• How good is my friendship with Jesus?
• Who do I consider a biblical friend?
• How can I be a better friend?
• What is one thing I can work on this year to be a friend like Christ is to me?