Growing up, my family was constantly on the move. When I complained to my mother that the kids at my new school weren’t friendly, she told me, “Look for someone who looks like they need a friend and go be one.”  

This coined the phrase “be one, get one” or “BOGO” in my family.

Following my mother’s advice led to many lasting friendships over the years, including my friendship with Jesus.

The Bible is full of other stories about friendships. 

The Book of Ruth tells the story of Naomi, whose family left Israel because of famine and relocated to the nearby country of Moab to start a new life. 

Sadly, Naomi’s husband died, as did both her sons, leaving her with no children or grandchildren to care for her. But her daughter-in-law Ruth stuck by her despite Naomi releasing her of obligation and responsibility, urging her to stay in Moab once when she herself decided to return to Israel. 

But Ruth told her, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.” (Ruth 1:16-17)

The friendship between David and Jonathan as revealed in 2 Samuel is one of the most amazing friendships in the Bible. The two were presumed rivals for being the next to rule Israel, but after David defeated Goliath, Jonathan stripped himself of his privilege and position, claiming that he loved David “as himself,” a prime example of the Bible’s greatest commandment.

When Jonathan died, David lamented, “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. You were pleasant to me.” (2 Samuel 1:26)

In these friendships we see loyalty, devotion and a willingness to risk or change their life for their friends. The Bible also gives advice, including how to be a friend and why it’s important to choose our friends wisely.

• A good friend is a person who is willing to forgive.

Luke 6:31-37 says to treat others as we wish to be treated. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

• A good friend will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
“Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.” (Proverbs 27:9)

If you and your friends put God first, your friendship will be impossible to break. 

According to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one…If either of them falls down, one can help the other up…If two lie down together, they will keep warm…Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

I believe that friends are our chosen family. Let it be said that you are someone’s sister or brother in faith.

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