“Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble” 
(Proverbs 17:17, MSG).

     It’s been said that longtime friends go long periods of time without speaking and yet never question the friendship. Such friends pick up like they had spoken yesterday. Even better, they seek you out when trouble comes.

”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, NIV).

Earlier today, I told the following story during a Celebration of Life service:

 A donkey had fallen into a deep well. Terrified, the donkey cried for hours as its owner tried to retrieve it. Unfortunately, the man realized that rescuing the animal was impossible. So, he did what he thought was the most humane thing to do. The man picked up a shovel and began throwing dirt into the well to bury the donkey and put it out of its misery.

“The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you” (Genesis 12:1, GNT).

     In 2000, a newly appointed bishop toured the annual conference to meet a sampling of pastors and key lay leaders. The bishop stopped by the church I was serving at the time for lunch. The bishop remarked that he and my mother had met one another at a prayer conference years before. Midway through the meal, my wife, Cathy, stopped by to join the conversation. The bishop turned to me and asked, “Wasn’t your mother’s name Kathy?” I replied, “I decided to marry a woman whose name I wouldn’t forget.” The bishop replied, “It sounds to me more like you’re in a rut.”

 “However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you” (Deuteronomy 23:5, NIV).

     I spent a good deal of time in Berlin during my military service. Berlin was once the capital of Nazi Germany. During the regime’s final days, more than 300 sorties were conducted on the great city by the Americans and British. Half of the homes were damaged. One-third of the city was rendered unlivable. Sixteen square kilometers were reduced to rubble.

     Happy “Cow Hug Day”! That is if you are a citizen of India. Cows traditionally are considered sacred by Hindus. The Animal Welfare Board declared February 14 as Cow Hug Day because the bovine is known as the “backbone of Indian culture and rural economy.”

There will be no Daily Devotions this week (Feb. 6 – 10). Devotions will resume on Monday, Feb. 13.

I pray you will reread a few of your favorite devotions to see how the Holy Spirit is speaking to you right now.

Pastor David