Most of us have someone who has made a difference in our lives. When deciding which path to take, a true friend can help guide us in the right direction.
Proverbs 12:26 (NKJV) The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Proverbs 22:24-25 (NLT) Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (LEB) Do not be deceived! “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
Proverbs 13:20 (MSG) Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.
Proverbs 27:5-6 (NLV) Sharp words spoken in the open are better than love that is hidden. The pains given by a friend are faithful, but the kisses of one who hates you are false.
Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV) A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
A beautifully written verse that discusses what the Bible says about choosing friends, specifically those that are wise, is found in Daniel 12:3 (NIV) Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
While we must choose wise company, we must look at ourselves and ask: ‘Am I considered wise company for others?’
Proverbs 13:20 (NLT) Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
Proverbs 14:7 (MSG) Escape quickly from the company of fools; they’re a waste of your time, a waste of your words.
Jonathan loved David so much that when he had to choose who he would be loyal to – his family or David, he chose his friend David. David loved Jonathan likewise. He mourned for him and, even after Jonathan’s death David showed kindness to Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. A true friend with sticks with you even when they must make difficult sacrifices that may affect their own destiny.
Naomi and Ruth are an example of a relationship which went through the good and the bad, but their friendship remained intact.
Ruth 1:16 (NIV) But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
“The trouble is not in dying for a friend, but in finding a friend worth dying for.” -Mark Twain
I conclude with: “The better you are at surrounding yourself with people of high potential, the greater your chance for success.” -John C. Maxwell