The Importance Of Having Great Friends
Valley Church
Paul spends the more than 10% of his letter to the Colossians greeting people or sending greetings [Col 4: 7-18], and for most of us we quickly read the names through to finish the letter. However, they tell us something about Paul and how we should live!
To Paul, his friends, the people he did life with, were massively important and they should be to us too as they will “define what we will achieve in life” (John Maxwell). Great friends will help us achieve great things, poor friends will help us to achieve little. Paul shows us four characteristics our closest friends should posses:
1. They should be Christ followers but outward focused
Jesus should be their number one but they have a focus on seeing others find Jesus for themselves.
2. They should be building the ‘Kingdom of Jesus’ and following leadership
Building the ‘Kingdom of God’ is their life’s work but they do it by following those in leadership, causing unity and God’s Spirit to flow
3. They should ‘pray hard’ and ‘work hard’
They are both God-directed and God-seeking but know it is a divine human partnership that will cause success
4. Be full of encouragement, passion, joy, generosity, confidence, humility, positive and be willing to learn.
They are will rounded people fully capable of helping us achieve all that God has put in our hearts to do
When you find people like this do all you can to make them part of your world!
And be a person like this for others!!
Ed