Skip to main content

The True Friend - Seven Virtues of Manhood 2023

Posted on | Mark Fruitt

For September, our virtue is True Friend. We will spend chapels, class meetings, homeroom time, and teachable moments that occur daily to help the boys answer the essential question of what does it mean to be a true friend?

The boys of PDS are developing life-long friendships in front of our eyes. Some of these relationships could last a lifetime. In light of these realities, we aim to teach the boys the Biblical basis of why God created friendships and how this gift of true friendship helps us to glorify Him throughout our lives. By using Biblical examples in the Old and New Testaments, we hope to build the boys into True Friends.

Below is a resource we give our teachers as we kick off True Friend. I hope you find it useful.

As we spend this month being intentional about true friendship, we pray that each boy continues to "grow in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man.

Thank you for allowing us to partner with you as we teach the boys this essential virtue.

September - True Friend

Stands by, Stands Up

Key Verse:

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” - John 15:12

Supporting Verses:

  • “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” Proverbs 27:17
  • “An honest answer is the sign of true friendship” Proverbs 24:26 (GNT)
  • “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” Ephesians 4:15
  • “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” Proverbs 18:24
  • “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16

How Jesus is the ultimate True Friend:

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13

Traits:

  • Sticks with a friend through thick and thin
  • Speaks honestly and kindly
  • Is trustworthy
  • Holds his friends accountable
  • Stands by his friends
  • Stands up for his friends
  • Tough enough to be kind