He is my steadfast love and my Fortress, my Stronghold and my Deliverer, my Shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. Psalm 144:2

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The salvation story of Jesus Christ reaches around the world. So that the readers of our Daily Devotion may see the power of the Savior on a global scale, we have asked the volunteers of our international ministry centers to write our Sunday devotions. We pray that the Spirit may touch your day through their words.

In Christ, I remain, His servant and yours,
Kenneth R. Klaus
Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour

In this world there are many people who go through life alone.

An individual may consider himself blessed by the Lord if he finds a friendship that is true and beneficial.

Such a pair of friends is Rosario and Carmen. The two have been friends for 17 years. You can understand that over the years they have had their share of ups and downs. Still the confidence and loyalty they have towards each other has grown over the passing of the years.

Like most young people the two friends made different career decisions. One of the unfortunate results of those choices is that Rosario and Carmen did not visit as they had done in the past. Indeed, there were times when they seldom spoke or visited.

Rosario's path in life became a very personal one. Hers was a religious experience in which the Lord called her to faith. Incredibly happy, she felt compelled to invite her friend Carmen to know the Triune God who had so totally changed her life for the better. In so doing she felt she was following the words of Proverbs 17:17, where the Lord said, "A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity."

Rosario knew, as all Christians know, that only in Jesus can we be given true meaning, forgiveness and salvation in our lives, the Lord is our faithful Friend, who patiently calls us to come and meet Him. Even more, in good times and bad He is our best Friend. The Lord is my faithful Friend, my place of safety, my Stronghold and my Deliverer, He is my Shield and I protect myself with Him.

A year after Rosario first spoke to her, Carmen was led to the Lord Jesus by the power of God's Holy Spirit.

As I write this, she has a growing faith and gladly acknowledges Jesus as her faithful Friend and Protector. I rejoice that Carmen continues to grow spiritually and receives Christian guidance through the devotions and worship services offered by the LHM ministry center in Nicaragua.

Now the two friends, each on their own paths, speak to others about Jesus and extend an invitation to faith.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You for becoming my faithful Friend, my Deliverer, and my Defender. Please give me the courage needed to witness to others and, above all, keep me close to You. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Biography of Author: Today's international devotion was written by Yorlene Vargas. She is working as a business administrator in our ministry center in Nicaragua. She started as a volunteer and for many years she has offered counseling for those people who are suffering from any sort of trauma. Along with her counseling, she also shares the Gospel of Christ.

Lutheran Hour Ministries-Nicaragua is known in-country as "Christ for All Nations" or Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones in Spanish. Launching its ministry outreach efforts in Chinandega in 1999, LHM-Nicaragua offers Project JOEL, an educational program helping children and young people make healthy lifestyle choices. High school and university students benefit from this program as well. Offering Equipping the Saints (ETS) evangelism workshops to facilitate Gospel conversations and Bible Correspondence Courses (BCC) to build up and edify students of Scripture, inroads are being made into people's lives with the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. Based today in Leon, this ministry center produces a weekly radio broadcast and 30-second on-air spots. These are augmented with "Radio Cristo Nica," an Internet and radio program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and helping others in this Central American country of more than six million people.

See how LHM-Nicaragua is visiting this country's schools, sharing Jesus Christ, and telling students about the salvation our God freely provides. You can check this out by clicking here and visiting this country's blog.


To learn more about our International Ministries, click here or visit www.lhm.org/international.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: 1 Samuel 20-21    Psalms 34    Luke 21:20-38

To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"