Parents, a spouse, children, grandchildren, neighbors, friends—the people around us are often the greatest blessings in our lives, filling our hearts with joy, laughter, and companionship. Yet, ironically, the same people can also be some of the greatest sources of hurt, disappointment, and frustration we will ever experience. While it is impossible to prevent all hurt and conflict, our relationships with other people can be much more meaningful if we apply God’s wisdom to those relationships. The Proverbs contain wisdom for many types of relationships, but let’s take a moment to consider the wisdom of the Proverbs specifically for friendships.

The Proverbs teach us to choose our friends carefully. “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray” (Prov. 12:26). When choosing friends who will be your inner circle, it is imperative that you choose carefully. The consequences of choosing unwisely could be disastrous and you could be led away from the right path. In another Proverb, the same point is made with a specific example. “Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul” (Prov. 22:24-25). We must carefully choose friends who will assist us in our pursuit of holiness. This is certainly not to say you cannot have friends who are not Christians or who have sin issues to work on. Indeed, we all struggle with many things. Rather, this is to say that your closest associates should be those who are on the same trajectory of godliness, because if you make friendships with violent or angry or wicked people, you could all too easily be ensnared in their wicked ways.

We often emphasize this truth about choosing friends carefully to teens and young adults, and rightly so, for teens can be especially susceptible to peer pressure. Nevertheless, this applies to adults just as much as it applies to teens. We never outgrown the need for friendship. If you have godly friends in your life, do not take them for granted. Be the friend who loves at all times (Prov. 17:17) and refrain from doing foolish things that could ruin that friendship (Prov. 17:9). If you do not have godly friends in your life, make every effort to seek and cultivate a godly friendship today. And remember, if we want to have friends, we have to start by being friendly ourselves (Prov. 18:24). It will take time and effort, but a good friendship is worth investing in. And when we apply godly wisdom to our friendships, they can be so much more than mere social structures for doing fun things together. A godly friendship can be a comfort to our soul and a catalyst for your growth in godliness. This week, I encourage you to invest in your friendships and to thank the people who have been a godly friend to you.