Best Friends

Read Proverbs 18:1-24

15. Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.
16. Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people!
17. The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins.
18. Casting lots can end arguments; it settles disputes between powerful opponents.
19. An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.
20. Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.
21. The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
22. The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.
23. The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.
24. There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:15-24

When you were a little kid, best friends really meant best friends. You played together every day. You invited each other over all the time. You stuck up for each other when the neighborhood bully showed up. You shared secrets, passwords, and favorite things. It was all about one thing: loyalty.

Proverbs 18 covers friends—the loyal ones, the kind you can’t do without. As you read, you will find a challenge to live up to the standard of an ideal friend. You will also find a warning to avoid those who pretend to be friends but aren’t.

Other verses here deal with sharing your opinion; a popular myth about wealth; and getting both sides of the story.

Today, more than ever, friendlessness plagues many people. With all the advances in technology, people, for the most part, are no longer dependent upon one another. It’s no wonder, then, why some people feel cut off and alienated from others, even those they consider “friends.”

God, however, made us to be social beings, in need of close, meaningful relationships. Each one of us needs a friend who will listen, care, stick close, and offer help whenever we need it—in good times and bad. One such friend means more than dozens of superficial acquaintances (Proverbs 18:24).

If you’re lonely and in need of a good friend, take the first step to developing great friendships: seek to become a true and loyal friend to someone else. Ask God to reveal this person to you. Then take on the challenge of being a true friend by caring, listening, helping, and affirming. Your friends need your friendship as much as you need theirs.