Friendships are a gift from God. And while they are His blessing to us, the most blessed friendship we can have is with our Lord. In this sermon, Dr. Stanley praises God for bringing friends into our lives and explains the importance of having relationships with others and with Christ.
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have valued a lot more friends and the
value you place on your friends will be
evidenced by the way you treat your
friends nothing you say it’s the way you
treat them and the wonderful thing about
friendship is this Jesus is the best
friend you and I’ll ever have
today on InTouch thinking through your
friendships the Lord has a plan for
every single one of our lives and part
of that plan is he has friendships for
each of us because he does not want us
to live the life of like an island all
by ourselves
and many people have trusted Jesus
Christ as their personal Savior as a
result of a friend who introduced them
to Jesus many people will tell you that
going through the most difficult time of
their life it was their friend who
helped them through it
the other people who will tell you I had
a friend but I don’t know what happened
to that friendship friends are treasures
they are gifts from God and if you have
a true genuine friend you should be very
grateful when I try to think about what
a true friend is like I think about
something out read many years ago I
don’t know who wrote it but I copied it
down that came to my mind the other day
I thought well this is the kind of
friend I’d like to be this is the kind
of friend I’d like to have and so I want
to share that with you and I’m gonna put
it up line by line on the screen so you
can copy it down but I want you to copy
it for this reason I think it’s the kind
of friends you’d like to have and I’m
sure it’s the kind of friend you’d like
to be so let’s look at it a treasure
one who loves you as you are no matter
what’s going on one who sees not only
who you are but who you can become one
who is there to catch you when you fall
and one with whom you can share your
everyday experiences one who accepts
your worst but helps you to become your
best someone who understands your past
believes in your future and accepts you
today just the way you are someone who
comes in when the world the whole world
has gone out thinking about that so just
for our sake why don’t we all just
repeat that together and just sort of
get in their minds you ready let’s start
a treasure one who loves you as you are
one who sees not only who you are but
who you can become one who’s there to
catch you when you fall one with whom
you can share your everyday experiences
and one who accepts your worst but helps
you to become your best someone who
understands your past believes in your
future and accepts you today just the
way you are someone who comes in and
when the whole world has gone out I
think all of us would agree we need
those kind of friends and so I’d ask you
this question are you that kind of
friend to someone do you have a friend
who is that to you when you read that
and you realize what is involved you
realize why a friend is a treasure a
gift from God and we all need
friendships and the Bible says a lot
about friendships and especially for
example in the book of Proverbs and as I
was thinking about the kind of
friendships we have and think about for
example their friendships all of us have
had
that we’ve enjoyed friendships that
we’ve trusted friendships that we
believed in and friendships that we hope
to at last all of our life
and yet somewhere along the way
something happens to them
we get disappointed they walk away we
don’t know why sometimes they tell us
and most of the time they probably don’t
so they’re all kind of friendships and
what you’re not need is a friendship we
need to have a friendship with the Lord
Jesus Christ first of all who will equip
us and enable us to be the kind of
friends we need to be and people will be
attracted to us because of our
friendship with them and we’ll want to
be the same kind of friends of us who in
your life could you count today as being
a true genuine loving faithful loyal
devoted trustworthy friend many people
cannot name one single person because
they’ve been hurt they’ve been
disappointed they look things that’s
happened in their past and they have
been hurt so terribly they could not
ever trust again it’s least that’s what
they will tell you the truth is they
could if they’d be willing to so when I
think about trouble friendships I think
about in this light and that is
sometimes we form wrong friendships in
the book of Proverbs is very clear about
who we choose to be our friends and
somebody says well if you’re a Christian
can’t you choose anybody to be your
friend well what is the Word of God say
so I’m going to give you these
scriptures and I’m gonna read them to
you so you won’t have to look them up
it’d take too long but first of all the
scripture is very clear about kind of
friendships we should not have and the
first one is this the Bible says in
proverbs 20 verse 19 do not associate
with the gossip listen not only don’t
make friends with the gossips don’t even
have anything to do with them you say oh
I don’t believe Jesus feels that way
well the Bible says don’t don’t have any
relationship with the gossip now why
would God say such a thing because first
of all you can’t trust
to gossip you can’t trust them to say
anything that you can tell them anything
they keep a confidence because the one
thing a gossip loves above everything
else is to be the one who has the final
word on you and who can tell what they
want to tell about you a gossip is a
dangerous kind of friendship so God says
oh I don’t have anything to do with a
gossip the second one is don’t listen he
says don’t associate with a person who’s
hot-tempered they just blow off all of a
sudden in Proverbs 22 verse 24 and 25 do
not associate with a man or a woman
given to anger or go with a hot-tempered
man or you will learn his ways and find
a snare for yourself what he’s saying is
this when you when you associate with
people who have very definite negative
attitudes and effects in life he says if
you if you hang around them and you
associate with them more than likely
they’re going to influence you and the
Bible says that in a number of different
ways that the influence of the ungodly
is powerful and somebody will often say
well you know I’m gonna marry this
person because I’m gonna change him you
just think you are and or if I live a
Christian life before them they will
certainly change not always and so he
says he says be careful about people who
are gossips be careful about people who
are hot-tempered and he says in chapter
24 proverbs he says listen do not
associate with those given the change
for that calamity will suddenly rise
which is what he means is those who are
disloyal and discontent if a person’s
good discontent they’re always changing
you know you don’t know whether you can
trust them out today you think you can
tomorrow you know you can and so person
who is discontent unsettled in their
ways he said watch those people because
they’ll influence you in proverbs 28
verse 7 he warns us about people who are
self-indulgent you know too much of this
too much of that too much of ever the
only thing they want is what satisfies
them or what seemingly satisfies them at
the moment proverbs 28 7 he who keeps
the law is the
turning person that is there under
control but he who is a companion of
gluttons humiliates his father that is a
person it’s all about them it’s all that
they can do that satisfies them I don’t
have anything to do with those kind of
people
then the immoral and chapter 29 verse 3
he says he who keeps company with
harlots wastes wealth and it’s
interesting in the 5th chapter of
Proverbs of all the things the Lord says
about all different kind of people in
the fifth chapter the Proverbs he goes
on for about 11 verses about giving
attention to wisdom and being discreet
and watching out for an adulteress on
adulterer and he describes what they do
and what happens as a result and so he
says keep yourself away from him don’t
it don’t even head in that direction
don’t give thought to that and so he
gives us fair warning in proverbs
chapter 5 stay away from it in other
words you can’t know what you said the
Bible says you can’t take far into your
bosom without being burned so if you
want to get in trouble then you have
friendships that are troubling
friendships that absolutely will tear
you down and not build you up and then
he says for example in proverbs 13:20 he
who walks with wise men will be wise but
the companion of fools will suffer harm
and the Bible says the fool is a person
who does not believe in God the fool
says there is no God but fools also
listen are those who do not accept the
Lord who shut God out of their life
they’re fools they’re foolish because
they’re trying to live their life apart
from God so when somebody says well yes
I know he’s not a Christian but I’m
gonna marry him and I’m gonna get him
saved I’ll tell you what you have to be
very careful who you marry and even if
you marry a Christian it doesn’t mean
it’s gonna last and in this day and time
half the people get married it doesn’t
last and looks like it’s almost an idea
increase but the issue is this we’re
talking about friendships so don’t even
get it don’t even get into a friend
and if somebody does not believe in God
you say well how am I gonna win it about
the Jesus what being their friend I’ll
tell you how you can confront them with
a gospel of Jesus Christ in a loving way
that doesn’t mean listen you can have a
relationship without a friendship and
some friendships are dangerous and so
you can witness to somebody and be
loving and kind without developing a
friend that person becomes a friend you
ought to have friends of people who are
loyal devoted who love the same God you
love and walk the same way you walk
because if you don’t like ordinance
scripture you’re going to be highly
influenced by other people and usually
it’s the wrong kind of influence so very
very clear what the scripture says in
fact he says the way of a fool is
writing in his own eyes naturally but a
fool is an arrogant and careless person
always losing his temper and so forth so
unless we are unusually strong you don’t
try to develop friends with people who
are heading in the opposite direction
then you are spiritually if you’ve
trusted Jesus Christ as your personal
Savior you’re born again the Lord Jesus
Christ as your Savior your Lord your
master he has a plan for your life it’s
the best plan a good plan you do not
want to link your life up with somebody
who has no plan someone who does not
accept the fact that God has a plan and
someone who’s not interested in God’s
plan for his own life or her own life or
your life and so you would you say well
are you telling me not don’t marry
somebody who’s not a Christian that’s
what I’d say I said absolutely and so I
know that many people would say well
that’s not scripture to read the Word of
God if you just keep reading you’ll find
the warning is that you will be highly
influenced by people who are ungodly
doesn’t mean you can’t have
relationships godly relationships but to
develop a friendship and a friendship is
a tight relationship a friendship is
more than just the relationship and so
the scripture warns us about it because
of the absolutely evident impact of that
which oftentimes tears a person down how
many people have
started out and then got into
relationships how many parents have said
to their children I don’t feel good
about that person I don’t feel good and
listen if you’re a young person I’ll
just put it this way most of the time
probably about 98% of the time if a
parent who loves you says to you I don’t
feel good about this particular person
you better listen because I’ve lived
long enough I’ve lived long enough to
have watched over and over and over and
over again when parents have warned
their children that’s it but you don’t
really know him you don’t really know
her and maybe much later or a few years
later they say I wish I had listened to
you when somebody says I wish I had or
somebody says if I had they’re
contesting a disappointment in life you
don’t want that in your life you don’t
that in your children’s life and you
certainly don’t want that in your
husband or wife life and when a husband
says to his wife you know I don’t have a
good feeling about you being with her I
don’t have a good feeling about you
going out with her you would listen to
your husband if she says I don’t have
you I don’t like the idea you’re running
around with him I don’t think I don’t
have a good feeling about that because
God has said something to her about what
he sees in that person and listen many
good people with great intention have
wrecked and ruined their life by being
influenced in a negative fashion that in
intend to be they wanted to do the best
they was going to be something good in
that life person’s life their good
influence and the opposite happened we
have to be careful about our friendships
and to be careless can be oftentimes
disastrous and I would ask you a
question are you here this morning are
you sitting there maybe by yourself in
your apartment but all the reason you’ve
listened this part is when I said
something about not having friends
because you don’t if you don’t have a
friend you’re very lonely and no amount
of alcohol no matter of money no amount
of prestige and popularity can feel the
place of Jesus in your life it will be
with you no matter what friendships are
very valuable to us we have to take care
of them
and so we make decisions in life and
what happens as a result we ruin a good
friendship and so it has to be nurtured
and it’s we can make unwise
relationships friendships or Wiseman’s
so let’s think about how you make
friendships will you say well you know
you just meet somebody and decide they’d
be a good friend yeah that’s not the way
you have friendships watch this
carefully you have to build friendships
relationships can come and go
friendships you have to build you say
well how do you build a friendship so
I’m gonna give you a list every single
word in this list is very important if
you want to have real genuine
friendships that really make a
difference in your life first of all you
have to spend time with them their word
you can’t have friendships that you
don’t have time with that person spend
time with them secondly talk to them
that’s the second most important you
have to talk to them how do you how do
you develop friendships you learn who
the other person is happy learn who the
other person is when they tell you about
their life what they tell you first of
all what they want you to know the more
you friendships you develop they tell
you things about their life that they
probably thought they wouldn’t tell
anybody they become very very honest and
so talking to each others with build
friendships and I talked to some of my
friends and I have some wonderful
wonderful wonderful godly friends I
talked to some of them every single day
friendships you have to give time to you
want to give time to why that make you
laugh then bring your happiness they
encourage you that is if you’re gonna be
a friend you gotta be willing to talk
and to listen to the other person and
likewise as you you’ve got to be willing
to cry and willing to laugh all of us go
through situations and circumstances
that are heartbreaking and if you’re the
kind of person that watch this you have
to watch this one if you’re the kind of
person who lives like this
you you will never have any friends
because you’re trying to cover up
something in your life that you need to
share their words when your hearts
broken you need to tell it you need to
share with someone who’s a real friend
you get disappointed either by your
friends
you at work or your children or
something and we laugh together and we
cried together that’s what real genuine
friendships all about somebody says well
now men don’t cry
well you’ll die early but the simple
reason because if crying is one way we
release tension and stress in our life
and listen the Bible says Jesus did what
he wept he cried all of us that are
natural we’re gonna cry at some things
true genuine friendships you will in a
cry you will enter share your heart no
matter what then of course there are
those things that you accomplish in life
and and you maybe you get a raise or you
get a promotion or or you get some
recognition and so well do you share
that with your friends and what happens
if they’re true friends they’re just as
excited about what you get as if they
got it that’s true genuine friendships
that willing to compliment you
whatever’s going on in life and then of
course there are trials all of us are
gonna have trials in life we’re gonna go
through things that are very difficult
if you a real friend you’ll be there
when the trials come if you’re a true
friend you’re gonna share what you’re
going through in life and if you try to
be the kind of friend has no troubles no
heartaches no burdens no this you got
everything and everything it’s just fun
that’s not friendship that is a
dishonest cover-up that’s what that is
we all have trials we go through in life
some more intense than others but what
do we do to keep them to ourselves know
we tell God about them first and then if
you have a friend we share that not to
burden somebody else and you see listen
if I’m your friend and you and my friend
and you come unload on me I don’t
consider that a burden I’m grateful to
God that you felt free to tell me what
was going on in your life and and what
happens is this the more genuine that
friendship is the more intimate you’re
going to be willing to share things in
your life that maybe you wouldn’t share
with anybody and it may be that’s the
only person you would tell but that’s
part of friendships and then of course
at thankfulness think about this when’s
the last time you said your friend
Wednesday everyone’s less time you sent
a text since it’s a text age when’s the
last time you sent him a text and just
said I was just thinking about you this
morning I wanna thank you for being my
friend now you say well that’s not very
that’s not very long you know how send
text and I don’t like to send them I
will send them and if I just say I just
want you to know that I love you you
know what I do it to emphasize it I put
about five six seven or ten exclamation
points behind it because what I’m saying
is I really and truly love you I do I
don’t know how to say that text bit any
other way but you know what sometimes
that’s all people need I’m praying for
you this morning exclamation point is
Commissioner words it means what I says
to me I really mean it so that’s my way
of saying I really mean in case you
question that so being thankful and then
being thoughtful and there are all
different kind of ways to be thoughtful
to somebody and whether it’s you whether
you tell them that you’re grateful for
something they did or as we say text
them or you write him a note but I think
a little note doesn’t take long to say
thank you very much that was thoughtful
of you
Thanks how could you be how could you be
so thoughtful of words it doesn’t take
much and and what happens is this when
you are thoughtful and you express it
something happens first of all something
happens that really is released in you
emotionally and secondly well listen
it’s released in you and lifts the other
person it’s like a smile for example
let’s say that you’re sort of down in
the dumps and somebody it comes to see
you about whatever it might be next
thing you know they’ve been smiling and
here you’re smiling and you and they’ve
lifted you up that’s what friends should
do they should lift each other whatever
it takes and often times it takes very
little just being thoughtful or it may
be that you’re thoughtful by giving them
something that you know they want and we
live in a selfish age it doesn’t take
much to express thoughtfulness just a
little something here and there and
we’re expressing appreciation and love
and their kindness till the other person
then of course there’s tolerance in
other words to be friends you have to
tolerate things that nobody nobody’s
perfect we all have our failures about
things so maybe we’d say something that
disappoints the other person or maybe
it’s a something that that hurts
somebody’s feelings sometimes you can
hurt somebody else’s feelings when you
didn’t mean that at all and when the
person realizes you didn’t really mean
that they tolerate that and move on and
don’t hold it against you you can’t
listen you can’t live with your antennas
out who’s gonna say something wrong
about me today
now what’s what you can’t live that way
you’ve got to listen you’ve got to live
thanking God that he loves you he
tolerates us every single day forgives
us for our mistakes and then of course
watch this now touching touching is very
important in friendships now for example
I have some men friends whom I love
dearly I don’t shake hands for them it’s
not because I’m afraid of getting
contaminated it’s because I handshakes
not enough and you know whose hand you
should shake and whom you should hug for
example your family and maybe maybe
somebody else your friends but even your
friends you have to be careful about
about how you touch somebody else and so
real friends are sacred in that touch I
would put it that away then you got to
be transparent you got to be open and
think about living this way think about
living in a fashion I don’t want anybody
to see on the inside of what I’m really
like
and you see what you may be feeling
maybe until the erroneous that’s nothing
you are that’s how you think you are and
so you think if if he or she sees this
they won’t like me anymore you know what
they they’ve already seen it and you’re
trying to cover it up you just have to
be transparent and open who you are and
not try to be something that you’re not
because we’re not perfect and I remember
when I was coming along in high school
we had a especially one girl in our
class
came from a very rich family and dis at
Neyland so forth and she was always
looking down her nose at everybody I
will never forget this I don’t know why
I’m telling you this what one of my dear
friends one of my dear friends friends
we were sitting in the English class one
day and the kenick and the teacher asked
him a question he said look I don’t know
but she knows everything so just ask her
and so that’s that is the attitude and
the spirit and I’ll never forget that as
long as they live as you can tell and so
we we developed friendships in a warm
wonderful awesome way but we have to be
open not snooty and then of course you
got to be truthful you can’t have a
friendship if you’re not truthful if
somebody tells you something and you say
I’m like I’m telling the budding you do
that’s not being truthful if somebody
asks you a question maybe maybe they ask
a question about yourself maybe you
don’t want to answer it you could say
well you know I have to think about them
how if this is the time or whatever it
might be but just be truthful being
honest always works and the people who
are not truthful you don’t have those
kind of friendships because when you add
all those things up too they add up to
love if you love somebody all these
things are gonna be found in your life
and so there are often times as we said
in the very beginning friendships that
start out people you trust people you
love people that you hope will be your
friend for a long time
and something happens to that friendship
all of us have lost friends and I’ve
lost friends that I never thought I
would lose and so how do you destroy our
friendship I’m sometimes that people
dial they just move away and whatever
but how do you destroy our friendship
what do you do the things you do that
really cause our friendship to fall
apart well the first thing is
but this you just be selfish it’s all
about me myself and I my three favourite
friends and it’s what I get what I want
when I have it when I can get it your
destroy our friendship just be selfish
always on the receiving end a second way
is to be a manipulator you use the other
person nobody wants to be used you use
the other person for example to get what
you want in life and so they feel like
they’re being used you go through this
person or that person and you’re
manipulated that you can destroy a
friendship because you realize that’s
not friendship they’re using you to get
something else
so using you to get to another person
thirdly possessiveness and this is what
you can really kill a friendship watch
this carefully you can smother a
relationship you can smother up a
friendship to absolutely destroy it
because if a person is your friend and
do you count them as a dear friend you
cannot say to them or act such a way you
can’t be anybody else’s friend if you
and my friend is just the two of us no
that’s not what friendship is about and
friendship is about sharing ourselves
not necessarily with just one person but
whoever God leads you and whoever he
works in your life and so possessiveness
doesn’t work and neither does jealousy
possessiveness is not right jealousy is
a sin and jealousy will destroy any
relationship if you’re married to a man
a woman who’s jealous you’re miserable
you’re miserable if you’re married to
somebody who’s jealous because this is
what you have to walk just like that
because you never know when you’re gonna
be misunderstood you may you may say
well you are you looking and wonderful
today why did you tell her that or in
other words in other words a person a
person who is jealous is never happy
about anything it’s like this they have
antennas out looking for reasons not to
trust or to believe in that’ll destroy a
relationship if you have
if you have a true friend you want them
to be listen if they’re that kind of
friend of you you treasure that
friendship you want somebody else to
have the same kind of friendship because
you love somebody if you really love
them you’re not gonna be jealous of them
somebody says well I’m jealous but I
love them no no no if you love them
you’re not jealous of them jealousy says
I must be in control of you at all times
i watch what you watch I look at what
you look in other words that’s not
friendship that’s jealousy and that is a
sin and then of course if somebody is
always criticized in other words if you
live with a critic you can’t be happy
because the critic is gonna find some
reason at some point probably daily or
there abouts something you didn’t do
right you could have done better and if
you live with somebody that no matter
what you do is not quite good enough it
got close but it wasn’t good enough you
you bought him or her a gift for example
and well where did you buy it because
you didn’t buy that a very expensive
place well well that doesn’t say much
about your love well I mean way way
though we’ll wait a minute wait a minute
wait a minute
in other words friendship isn’t based on
how much the gift cost friendships based
on the fact that you thought about me
and so people who are critics they’re
gonna find some way then of course those
there are those people who are explosive
you don’t want an explosive friend
here’s the reason why you never know
when they’re going off you never know
when they’re going off because something
just ticked them the wrong way and they
have this explosion and then what
happens often times you end up picking
up the pieces and sometimes you can’t
pick up the pieces this is why you want
to have friends with people who love the
Lord who know how to love you and know
how to give of themselves to you who had
trustworthy who believed in you and then
of course have their people who very
covetous
in other words some and think about this
jealous is the attitude that makes me
grasp of what I have that is I’m jealous
but covetousness
listen covetousness drives me to do what
to get what somebody else has so if I’m
gonna have a real friendship it’s a give
and take in other words I want to give
to you you get to me we share each other
it’s not Kepner words it’s not about me
genuine friendships is not about me it’s
about you and about your future and
about your life and and what brings
happiness and peace and joy into your
life and then of course this loyalty
this loyalty destroys a friendship
immediately I told you something in
confidence and you promised me you were
not telling anybody else because it was
an area of my life that I was working on
or I told you this happened in my family
or whatever it might be
disloyalty disloyalty is like driving us
a stake between two people can’t be
trusted
it’ll destroy our friendship and
likewise just just being dishonest just
not telling the truth in other words if
you did something wrong just say yeah
you know what I missed it I’m sorry I
forgot it and if I ask you today how
many of you have forgotten your wife or
your husband’s birthday please don’t
raise your hand and yet somebody and
then the other person gets all upset and
they just will say you know what I
forgot it you don’t say well I was this
and don’t know words if you tried to
explain some things away you just wasted
your time just say you know what I’m
sorry apologize I don’t know what
happened I forgot it but it’s my fault
and I will certainly try to make it up
to you then of course if you want to
destroy our friendship it’s get too busy
well you know I haven’t called you in
two weeks for this reason I haven’t
talked to you in about a month in other
words everybody’s busy it takes time as
we said in the very beginning to be a
real true genuine friend now the
question is how do we how do we rescue
these troubled friendships and I’ll just
make this very short happy how do we
rescue them first of all you’ve got to
decide that a friendship is worth
rescuing you’ve got to decide you really
want that person to be your friend you
have to decide I’m willing to do what is
necessary to make things right if I’ve
done something to offend them in some
way and neglected them in some way I’m
willing to make that but take the steps
necessary and so the first thing I have
to do is admit that hey I was wrong here
please forgive me that was not what a
loyal devoted friend would do and I’m
asking you to forgive me and I promise
you the best of my ability it’ll never
happen again
and then live it out what you promise
that you’ll be loyal devoted to that
person honest and truthful then of
course one thing you don’t do is begin
to defend yourself if you’re gonna make
a friendship right don’t defend anything
you did just say I was dead wrong I’m
very sorry and I’m asking for
forgiveness specifically I’m wrong I was
wrong and I’m asking for forgiveness and
then what you might do is ask them
listen would you tell me tell me what
can I do to heal this relationship tell
me what I need to do to make this
relationship right tell me what I need
to do to rebuild our fellowship and our
and our friendship because I love you as
my friend I made a mistake I’m sorry
and if you’ll tell me what I can do to
make this better I will do it and what
you’re doing is you’re opening the door
for them to save whatever they need to
say and they may say to you well you can
do something real simple if I tell you
something and confidence don’t ever tell
anybody else if you want this friendship
to work it may be something that simple
or it may be something more difficult
than that but we have to give them an
opportunity to say what needs to be said
if I want to mend that relationship if I
don’t want to mend it I’ll say well you
know everybody makes mistakes and if you
if you think my mistake with so much and
forget the friendship no that’s not
friendship
but you care about the friendship
friendships are precious and if you
think about it your whole life and you
know how
long I lived I could count on true
genuine friends that I’ve had thank God
it would take both hands and feet but
all toes I’ve had some wonderful friends
and I’ve outlived a lot of them and but
I can say this the best friends that
I’ve ever had in my life I have today
and so I would say they told you folks
out there who are at my age and above
that below that or whatever it might be
don’t think because you are whatever age
you are that you know nobody wants to be
your friend sure or listen most all of
my friends are half my age you saying
they’re running around with you yep and
you know what they love it because there
was enough to listen and learn something
and I love them you know the age has
nothing to do with it it has to do what
you have to offer what kind of friend do
you want to be and I would have been
happier to age afforded to have somebody
who is my dear friend at the age of 80
I thought listen I want to learn
everything I can listen to what I can
listen to and be sure I don’t miss
anything in life that will help me
become the person you got it wants me to
be we can we can mend friendships if
we’re honest and open willing to ask for
forgiveness apologize and whatever it
might be and I can tell you this one my
life the best friends the truest friends
I’ve ever had of my friends today and so
that ought to be an encouragement to
some of you maybe your friends you think
well I thought you ought to have your
closest friends ought to be your age no
because people my age can’t keep up with
me they can
they came it’s hard to live to be my
friends so I have to choose those who
can go when I want to go and go where I
want to go and do the things I love
doing but you may want to choose friends
who are totally different I understand
that so if what you have to ask is this
have valuable are my friends and the
value you place on your friends will be
evidenced by the way you treat your
friends nothing you say it’s the way you
treat them and the wonderful thing about
friendship is this Jesus is the best
friend you and I’ll ever have and my
friend no matter who your friends are
and what you have in life and where
you’ve been where you going your
popularity and prestige and prominence
and all the rest none of that
weighs as much as a good friend and you
start with Jesus who’s always there and
if you’ll notice that paragraph we gave
at the beginning of the message he fits
every bit of that he’s a true friend and
listen when we say he’s there when all
the world walks out I think that’s the
elephant test of a friend today when
everybody else walks away from you who’s
standing there with you to say you can
count on me no matter what that’s the
kind of friend I want to be and that’s
the kind of friend I’d like to have and
probably thank you and praise you today
for your loving friendship toward us you
put up with a lot you provide us
everything and you’re so generous to us
and we ask today that you place within
our heart
the desire to be the kind of friend so
many people need you’ve brought us some
multitudes of places different
backgrounds but you’ve surrounded all of
us with different people many of whom
need a friend teachers had to be a godly
friend that being our friend will draw
them closer to you is our prayer in
Jesus name Amen
the blessings of godly relationships can
be yours through faith in Jesus the best
friend you’ll ever have at intouch.org
learn more about trusting God and how to
discern his will for your life there you
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