As I grew from a boy into
my teenage years, I noticed that my parents became much more concerned about
the friends I hung around. When I was a kid in the summertime, I remember leaving
my home after I ate breakfast, and not coming in until lunch. I would then
leave again and stay out until my mom rang the bell to come in for supper. I
would then leave again and stay out until dark. All this time was spent with my
neighborhood friends. As I got older, I began to hear questions like … “Where
are you going, and who are you going with?”

As a teenager, I began to
realize the importance of the people I hung out with in my leisure time. As a
boy, I never considered it at all, it was all about having fun and exploring. I
began to really scrutinize the friends I had during my time in High School. I
remember after I got my driver’s license, being so excited to be able to drive
to school. I remember picking up my friend Billy, who had not gotten his
license yet, and being so pleased that I could drive him to school. He got in
my car and lit up a cigarette. My mind was whirling. I told him that I was glad
he was my friend, but the cigarette had to go! He got mad at me and our
friendship died. I was not upset.

Today I read, “I am a
companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts”
(Psalm 119:63). I am an old man now, and the people I call friends are very
important to me. I realize today that the people I choose to be my friends will
heavily influence the way that I think and act. I now understand why my parents
asked so many questions during those teenage years. Today, as a leader in my
own home, and a leader in ministry, I depend upon the advice and opinions of my
friends. I want to be sure that the person I call, “friend,” is one who fears
the Lord.

I want to be the friend to
others who fears the Lord and walks with Him every day. I want to find people
who will come along side me to be my friend who will fear the Lord more than
they fear man. I want a friend who is strong enough to stand for the Lord if I
head off in the wrong direction, and help me to find my way back to the Lord. I
want to be a friend who will stand for what is right, whether it is a popular
opinion, or not. We are in need of people today who will fear the Lord, and who
will stand for him. This is the kind of friend I want; it is the kind of friend
I want to be; and it is the kind of friend that I want our children and
grandchildren to find. These kinds of friends will not be found in the world. I
am constantly seeking to be a man who fears the Lord, and I am looking for
people who are doing the same to come with me.