Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading titled The Power of Love was written by

Wyn Collier. Two octogenarians, one from Germany and the other from Denmark were an unlikely couple.

They had each enjoyed 60 years of marriage before being widowed.

Though living only 15 minutes apart, their homes were in separate countries.

Still, they fell in love, regularly cooking meals and spending time together. Sadly, in 2020, due to the

coronavirus, the Danish government closed the border crossing. Undeterred, every day at 3 p.m.,

the two met at the border on a quiet country lane and seated on their respective sides, shared a picnic.

We're here because of love, the man explained. Their love was stronger than borders,

more powerful than a pandemic. The Song of Songs offers an impressive display of love's invincible

power. Love is as strong as death, Solomon insisted. None of us escapes death.

It arrives with a steely finality we can't break. And yet love, the writer said, is every bit as strong.

What's more, love burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

Have you ever watched a fire exploding in feverish rage? Love, like fire, is impossible to contain.

Many waters cannot quench love. Not even a raging river can sweep love away.

Human love, whenever it's selfless and true, offers reflections of these characteristics.

However, only God's love offers such potency, such limitless depths, such tenacious power. And here's the stunner.

God loves each of us with this unquenchable love.

Now let's hear some Old Testament poetry together. This is today's Our Daily Bread devotional

scripture reading. It's taken from the Song of Songs, Chapter 8, verses 6 through 7.

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death.

It's jealousy, unyielding as the grave.

It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.

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