Real Friends/Counterfeit Friends - March 15 & 16

Core Scripture(s):
I Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be fooled: Bad friends will ruin good habits.”

James 4:11 (NLT) “Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.”

Memory Verse:
1 Samuel 16:7b “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Discussion Questions:

1. What have you bought based on first impressions, only to find out later that the product (or person – no names) was not as advertised?
2. Have you ever seen a counterfeit bill? What is the difference between it and a real bill?
3. How can you tell the difference between a real friend and a counterfeit friend?
4. What is the “danger” in having a counterfeit friend?
5. Read Psalm 62:9 “Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; In the balances they go up; they are together lighter than breath.” People who are counterfeit don’t “weigh” much – they don’t hold much value (kind of like when you weigh a gold brick against a feather – it doesn’t compare). What can you do to change that in someone or yourself?

Bottom Line:
The difference between a counterfeit friend and a real one is by what’s on the inside – not what’s on the outside. Just like the difference between a counterfeit $20 bill and a real one is by what they can do. “Fakes” can be hard to spot – but you’ll know when you find one when it doesn’t help you. This is why God places such value on what’s on the inside of us. Just like it says in our memory verse – the Lord looks at the heart. Why does He look there – because that’s who we truly are. If you want to find a real friend, look at people around you the way God does – look at their heart (look at the fruit in their life).