Top Ten Characteristics of a Christlike Friend

Chick Chat this past month was all about friendship. I wanted to post the 10 characteristics we discussed just as a reminder to you. Friendship is addressed over and over again in the Bible and Jesus was a perfect example of what a true friend should be. The 10 characteristics below are found in the Bible and our each an expression of Christ's character. Godly character is the hallmark of a Christ follower, and this character leads us to treat others as Jesus would treat them. Remember, as you are reading this list that to have good friends we must be a good friend! Reflect on your life and your character as well!

10. A Good Friend is Loyal-She doesn't throw her friend under the bus!
     ~Loyalty means we stand by our friends in good times AND bad.
     ~"A friend loves at ALL times" Proverbs 17:17

9. A Good Friend is Trustworthy-She keeps it in the vault!
   ~Gossip is an act of opening the vault and giving away what has been entrusted to you.
   ~"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" Eph 4:29

8. A Good Friend is an Encourager-She's got your back!
   ~We choose to speak words of life and faith into her heart and encourage with hope, with truth, and with confidence in God.
   ~Acts 9:23-28

7. A Good Friend is Real-She can't be bought in Chinatown!
   ~Authenticity makes us knowable, transparent, vulnerable, open, and honest.
   ~"I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father." John 15:15

6. A Good Friend is Intentional-She makes the effort to stay connected!
   ~We must be intentional about maintaining and cultivating that relationship. That requires time and talking!
   ~Jesus modeled this. He knew His life purpose, and He lived each day on a mission.

5. A Good Friend Has Integrity-She doesn't act shady!
   ~Shady: an action that is questionable in nature and a teensy bit on the sketchy side.
   ~If you are hiding something from a friend (that pertains to her) and it doesn't involve a surprise birthday party or future engagement, then you might be acting shady. Integrity is when our actions are open and honest and without deception.
   ~"The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out." Proverbs 10:9

4. A Good Friend is Compassionate-She walks a mile in her friend's stilettos!
   ~She hurts when a friend is hurting, and she extends the mercy and warmth of Christ to those in need.
   ~"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion." Col 3:12

3. A Good Friend is Kind-She gives her friend the bigger cookie!
   ~To "give the bigger cookie" is to sacrifice time and resources to show the simple gesture of kindness to one another.
   ~When we see our relationships through Jesus' eyes, we will begin to recognize opportunities God places before us to be the hands and feet of Christ to our friends.
   ~'Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves in ...kindness" Col. 3:12

2. A Good Friend Extends Grace and Forgiveness-She meets her friend at the foot of the cross!
   ~A humble person doesn't always expect everything to go her way.
   ~Grace is for annoyances, forgiveness is for offenses. In a Christian's life, forgiveness is NOT optional.
   ~Forgiveness does not always guarantee reconciliation.
   ~"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,...bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Col. 3:12-13

1. A Good Friend Loves-She seeks the best for others!
   ~Love is the evidence that we know and love God. When we love one another as God loves us, this displays to the watching world that knowing and following Jesus truly does make a difference.
   ~Love is seeking the best for others.
   ~1 John 4:7-12

I pray that this list is encouraging to you and will help guide you as you seek good, Christian girl friends. I also pray that you will examine your own life and work on those characteristics that you need a little more work on. Remember that God is our power source. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5) He can give you the power to be a great, Christian friend.

These characteristics come from the book "The Girlfriends Guidebook" by Marian Jordan. This is a great read!

 Loving Jesus together,
Morgan

June Highlights

I can't believe June has already been here and is now gone! This summer is going by super fast and it has been jammed packed already with some great memories and hopefully stronger relationships with Christ. Here are just a few highlights from the month of June...

We were very sad to see Jessica go for the summer :( but she had to finish up school and get that diploma!!! We welcomed Mackenzie to the Student Ministry and with her vivacious personality and sweet spirit, she was able to help out with VBX and World Changers.

Chick Chat was a huge success! I am so blessed to have you in the Girl's Ministry. I could hang out with y'all for hours!! We spent the month of June talking about Christian friendship, making headbands out of our old t-shirts, and having great fellowship with each other! Chick Chat is one of the best parts of my week!!!

VBX with our middle school students was awesome! You girls sure know how to serve others and shine for Jesus. I went with the groups each day to Goodwill and learned so much about the Christian organization. All of you worked so hard!

We ended VBX with a fun trip to Frankie's Fun Park! What a great time riding Go-Karts, Bumper Boats, Laser Tag, and arcade games!

We ended this month with our high school students going to Springfield, IL to World Changers. I am so proud of our girls working so hard for Christ. And may I say we had more GIRLS, than guys that went! Whoot Whoot! I love that you didn't mind getting dirty, sweaty, and stinky as you fixed roofs, porches, ramps, siding, etc. That is real women who love God! May we pursue God with all we have and continue to change the world right here in Aiken. We have so much more planned for July and I hope that you will get involved in the Student Ministry this summer!

Loving Jesus together,
Morgan