Our world values great friendships. Shaggy had Scooby. Spongebob had Patrick. Mike had Eleven. Friendships have given us boybands, best-friend-bracelets, and secret handshakes. Friends are there when we hurt, and there when we succeed. Needless to say, friendships are an important part of our lives.

The Bible is not silent on the topic of friendships. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon, the wise king, passed along a lot of good relationship advice to his son. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

That means that Solomon’s wisdom about relationships in proverbs is;

-From God.

-Profitable.

-Helpful to “getting it right” and showing us how we should live.

Here are a few things that every student needs to know when it comes to friends:

The friends who surround you will shape you.

“The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” –Prov. 13:20

When it comes to who we allow to be in our inner circle it is important to remember that there is a direct connection with how you walk through life and who you walk with. This means that you and I need to be serious about who we allow to shape us. Some will sharpen us into the image of Christ link iron sharpening iron (LINK Pv. 27:17). Some will lead us in the way of the wicked(LINK Psalm 1:1).

The friends who surround you will steer you.

“The one who walks with the wise will become wise, but a companion of fools will suffer harm.” -Prov. 13:20

Sometimes you and I have the tendency to not think beyond today. We want to “live in the moment” and to quote the philosopher Ke$ha, “make the most of the night like we’re gonna die young.”

The thing we can’t forget is that the friends we have around us today will impact where we are tomorrow, whether we acknowledge it or not. We have to begin to train ourselves to see the bigger picture, and be able to think down the road. Wise friends will lead us well. Foolish friends will lead us to harm, hurt, and brokenness.

Be intentional with who you you surround yourself with. They have the ability to shape and steer your life. Let’s not take that lightly.