Christian Parents Must Teach Their Children About Friends Christian Families.com

A mother and father send their eighteen-year-old son off to college. He is a well-grounded individual who loves the Lord. The first year he is away at college he is faithful in attending church and surrounds himself with Christian friends. The second year he is at college he takes a job where he is surrounded by many non-Christians. He is spending so much time with his co-workers he has soon replaced his Christian friends with friends from work. Soon he begins slipping away from God, attending services less and less, and involving himself in the sin of the world.

Sadly, the story I just told is all too common. However, my point for this article is not a focus on what can happen to someone when they enter the real-world for the first time, but rather the importance of surrounding oneself with godly friends. A situation like the story I told above can happen to anyone at any age whether they are thirteen, thirty, or sixty. Christian parents must teach their children the importance of surrounding themselves with godly friends.

There are many reasons that Christian parents must teach their children about the type of friendships they should develop. First, if parents do not teach their children, who or what will teach them? Certainly the examples seen on television or even in school are not the types of friendships Christian parents would want their children to develop. Secondly, Christian parents must teach their children to surround themselves with godly friends because it can help them in their walk with God.

Living a godly life is not easy. In Matthew 7:13-14 Christ says: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Christians should be constantly striving to maintain their life in the Lord. In 1st Corinthians 9:27 Paul writes: “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” This can be done in many different ways including Bible study and prayer. This can also be done by surrounding oneself with Christian friends who will lift you up and who will be there to help you resist temptation. Christian parents must teach their children to surround themselves with godly friends to help their children continue living a life focused on the Lord.

All Scripture reference is taken from the English Standard Version (ESV).