Relationships 4 True Friendships!

In this 4th lesson in our series on Relationships we discuss:

• The importance of building relationships with people who are helpful, loving, kind, and resourceful to our lives.

• Friendship is a rare commodity, and it's important to understand how to keep that relationship intact, how to honor it, and how to uphold it.

• Respect one another's choices in life and honor growth and development in a person we call a friend.

• Friendships fall apart when people do not recognize growth, do not honor change, and are not ready for change that may occur in individual's lives.

• Human beings are the greatest resource in life, and it's important to understand how to make friends and how to deal with our friends.

• Use the Bible to understand the word and nourish our spirit and our soul.

• Proverbs 27:9 KJV "Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel."

• A friend goes beyond an associate and gives sweetness and joy to the soul.

• A friend is someone who is concerned about you, and when you're in the presence of a friend, it gives you a sweetness and joy.

• A friend is not going to sit in your face and laugh and pretend everything is okay when it's not.

• Wise men argue, fools fall apart.

• A friendship refreshes the soul.

• When you're around friends, have a sweet friendship that refreshes the soul.

• Know what a friend is and what a friend is not.

• Proverbs 17:17 KJV "A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

• How to measure a true friend - do they love you when you have nothing, when you're going through a hard time

• Embody Colossians 3:12-13 NIV "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

• Encourage and build each other up - 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

• Ecclesiastes 4:9 NIV "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor."

• Ecclesiastes 4:10 NIV "If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." - Friends are important as no man is an island

• Have friends who know how to pray and support you.

• Mark people who will be in your corner and support you.

• Work with people, know how to deal with conflict and mark a good man/woman as your friend.