Some of us are facing difficult times right now. (And any who aren’t will at some point—that’s the nature of life in a world under the Curse.) In hard times, God is absolutely sovereign and loving, but more than ever we need the right kind of friends to visibly live out God’s heart and wisdom for our encouragement, and to help us keep our eyes on our King.

An absolutely true proverb: “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

C. S. Lewis said, “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.”

He also asked, “Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?”

I appreciated the below sermon from Tim Keller, on a biblical view of friendship. He has some great insights on the kind of friend to be and the kind of friend to look for.

While Nanci is my closest friend, I have a number of good friends, including one who’s been my closest brother now for 45 years, from when we were teenagers, shortly after coming to Christ. Both of us grew up in unbelieving homes. He and I love this message of Keller’s. I think you might, too.

Photo by Joseph Pearson on Unsplash