In our modern day society the concept of true friendship has become a foreign concept. People have forgotten what it actually means to be a friend. In our modern society we have social networking which on the one hand is great but on the other hand it has been instrumental in creating a skewed understanding of the concept of friendship. We have people who have thousands of “friends” on their social network platforms. The sad reality is that these so called friendships are nothing more than superficial social ties often based on low self-esteem, insecurity or some kind of money making agenda. We need true biblical friendships.

A true friend is that person in your life that is prepared to come to your assistance no matter what. In Galatians 6:2 it tells us as Christians to “bear each other’s burdens”. I’m sure that many of you reading this book have had someone say to you that if you are ever in trouble and have a need that they will be there for you and are only a call away.The sad reality is that when this bold statement of unconditional friendship is ever put to the test that in the majority of cases this is met with selective amnesia or astonishment by the person who made the promise that you would dare to ask the question and be such an inconvenience.

True friendship in the Christian context is to be called to deliver a higher standard of friendship that is rooted and grounded in the Love of Christ. Love is expressed in how we interact with each other on a day to day basis and is often displayed in the most basic acts of kindness. It starts with us praying for each other and asking Holy Spirt to reveal to us ways in which we can be that true friend to the people He has placed in our lives.

Erick Bouwmeester