Fighting For Good Friendships

BY DR. ROBERT E. FOWLER

FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

It’s worth your time to build friendships for spiritual growth. You cannot become like Christ … you cannot become all God meant for you to be … you cannot grow to spiritual maturity by yourself. You must have friends in your life to accomplish God’s purpose for you. Romans 1:12 says this: “I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.”

FOR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ.” If you’re not helping out any other friends, you’re not fulfilling the law of Christ — which is, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

FOR BETTER HEALTH

One of the reasons to establish good friendships, is that friends give you a place to unload your negative emotions. The Bible says this in James 5:16: “Admit your faults to one another.” Notice it doesn’t say to God. It says admit your faults to one another … and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Circle that word “healed.”

FOR SOCIAL ENJOYMENT

You need friends for social enjoyment. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not merely endured. Friendships are the bedrock of a satisfying life. You can make all the money, have all the achievements, and find all the pleasure in the world — but if your relationships stink, life stinks. God said in Genesis 2, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” God hates loneliness.

TO REACH YOUR GOALS

You will never fulfill your life’s goals by yourself. It takes a team to fulfill a dream. Anything great cannot be done by one person — you’ve got to build a supportive team. The Bible says, “Two people are better than one, because they get more done by working together.”