What is a good friend? You’ll find the answer in the Bible in Philippians 2:3-4, TLB. "Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing." Does that sound like a perfect friend?”

Should a friend be honest, even if it hurts? The answer is in the Bible in Proverbs 27:6, TLB. "Wounds from a friend are better than kisses from an enemy!"

Real friendship involves loyalty -- sticking by through thick and thin. Look it up in the Bible in Proverbs 17:17, TLB. "A true friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need."

Am I a friend of Jesus? It’s in the Bible, John 15:15, NIV. "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you."

What kind of friends should I choose? Choose friends who love the Lord and have pure hearts. It’s in the Bible, 2 Timothy 2:22, TLB. Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts."

Can gossip hurt friendships? The answer is in the Bible in Proverbs 16:28, NIV. "A gossip separates close friends.”

Good friends are worth keeping. You’ll find it in the Bible in Proverbs 27:9-10, TLB. "Never abandon a friend -- either yours or your father’s. Then you won’t need to go to a distant relative for help in your time of need."

There is a wonderful story in the Bible in 1 Samuel, chapter 20, about the friendship of David and Jonathan. They were loyal to each other and had the best of friendship.