Living in Increase (Part 4) - Increase in CommunitySample

Forever Friends

Now that we’ve discussed fake friendships and friends who hurt us, let’s talk about good friendships—forever friends!

Proverbs 17:17 tells us that a friend loves at all times, including the good, bad, and ugly. Earlier, we talked about real friendships, and the most genuine friends are those who stick with us no matter what. When a friend loves “at all times,” it means that they are with us in every season: spring, when things are alive and bright; summer, when things are hot and tense; fall, when things are falling and cut back; and winter, when things are bare, but there’s hope of something new in the future. Forever friends are great in every season but especially great in times of adversity. We enjoy community in the good times, and we are thankful for community in the hard times.

I would also like to point out that to have “forever friends,” you must be a forever friend. We can’t expect people to stick with us through our mess if we’re not willing to get dirty with them in their mess. Friendships work both ways, so to receive a forever friend, we must be forever friends!

Forever friends add to the advantage of companionship, which we discussed on the first day of this topic. They provide consistency, strength, and encouragement to us in every season!

Emily N. Green

Action Step: Identify a place where you can find forever friends. This can be a church, a small group, a volunteer team, etc.