FOCUS OF THE MONTH (FOM)
God’s Sacrificial Love for Us
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK (SOW)
And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. – Ephesians 5:2 KJV
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. — Ephesians 5:2 ESV
MINISTRY RESOURCES
Wednesday Corporate Fasting Scripture – Isaiah 58 (ESV); Isaiah 58 (KJV)
Friday End of Week Scripture – Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV)
LET’S CELEBRATE YOUR NEW YEAR!
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ESV Translation Philosophy
The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.
In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a “thought-for-thought” rather than “word-for-word” translation philosophy, emphasizing “dynamic equivalence” rather than the “essentially literal” meaning of the original. A “thought-for-thought” translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive views of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture.
Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between “formal equivalence” in expression and “functional equivalence” in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within this framework, we have sought to be “as literal as possible” while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence. Therefore, to the extent that plain English permits and the meaning in each case allows, we have sought to use the same English word for important recurring words in the original; and, as far as grammar and syntax allow, we have rendered Old Testament passages cited in the New in ways that show their correspondence. Thus in each of these areas, as well as throughout the Bible as a whole, we have sought to capture all the echoes and overtones of meaning that are so abundantly present in the original texts.
As an essentially literal translation, taking into account grammar and syntax, the ESV thus seeks to carry over every possible nuance of meaning in the original words of Scripture into our own language. As such, the ESV is ideally suited for in-depth study of the Bible. Indeed, with its commitment to literary excellence, the ESV is equally well suited for public reading and preaching, for private reading and reflection, for both academic and devotional study, and for Scripture memorization.
PRAISE & WORSHIP
DAILY DEVOTIONALS
Sunday, February 22, 2026 – SCHOOLED IN LOVE – 1 John 4:16-21
Our Daily Bread Focuses: God’s love and care
Today’s Devotional
Woody Cooper stood in the loud mob the day Dorothy Counts, a Black girl, enrolled in his all-White high school in North Carolina. Taunting her, some boys yelled racial slurs and threw trash at Dorothy, but Woody didn’t rebuke them, even staying silent when a woman cried out, “Spit on her, girls!” He later asked himself, Why didn’t you at least say something? She was just another student coming to school. Haunted for decades by his sin of omission, especially after seeing himself in a news photo from that day, Woody finally reached out to Dorothy forty-nine years later to apologize.
As Woody learned, showing love and support for another human being isn’t just being brave; it’s also making a choice to be like Jesus. John the apostle taught this lesson to churches burdened by false teaching about Christ and His love.
“We love because He first loved us,” John wrote. “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar” (1 John 4:19-20). John recalled this great command: “Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (v. 21).
Woody and Dorothy reflected that love as they became close friends. They spoke at churches and schools together. On the night before he died, she came to see him. “I loved him,” she said, “and I know that he loved me.” That’s the Jesus way. It can be our way too, as God brings us together in His transforming love.
Reflect & Pray
When did you fail to love like Christ? How can you better show His love?
Please guide me to love like You, Jesus.
Are you longing for redemption? Find out how Jesus is the answer by reading The Failure of Humanity and Longing for Redemption.
Today’s Insights
Jesus loves us so much He made a way for us to be with Him forever by dying on the cross for our sins (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). All we need to do is believe in Him and come to Him in repentance. Christ says to “love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12; see 1 John 4:11). We exhibit this love by being “devoted to one another” and honoring others “above ourselves” (Romans 12:10), by not harming each other (13:10), and by “[carrying] each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2).
This love is beautifully described in 1 Corinthians 13 as “patient, . . . kind, . . . not self-seeking, . . . not easily angered” (vv. 4-5). It “does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (v. 6). This love is possible only through the Holy Spirit’s work in us—transforming us to be more like Christ (Romans 5:5; 2 Corinthians 3:18) and enabling us to truly love others.
Monday, February 23, 2026 – HUMBLE LEADERSHIP – John 1:19-28
Daily Bread Focus: Humility; Service
Scriptures: James 4:10; Micah 6:8
Today’s Devotional
My friend Butch Briggs has been the beloved coach for the swim teams at a local high school for fifty-one years. Out of curiosity, I asked him how many state championships he’d won during his five decades. In his trademark, gentle tone he quipped, “I’ve not won a single championship because I’ve never swum in a single race.” Trying again, I asked him, “How many championships have your swimmers won?” He happily responded, “Thirty-nine.”
Butch taught me a valuable lesson. A coach plays an important role, but he didn’t want to take credit for what his swimmers accomplished.
Butch’s humility reminds me of how John the Baptist saw his role. John was tasked with pointing people to Jesus as the Messiah—the one who fulfilled God’s promise to send a rescuer. But John garnered so much attention that the religious leaders wanted to find out exactly who he was. In response, Scripture records that John “confessed freely, ‘I am not the Messiah’ ” (John 1:20). Even when they pressed him, John was clear that his role was to announce Jesus’ arrival (vv. 21-23). Jesus was the one they’d longed for (v. 27).
This aspect of humility—not taking more credit than is due—is a way we can keep a proper perspective regarding our accomplishments while recognizing others for the assignments or roles they’ve been given.
Reflect & Pray
Where might you struggle to display humility? How might the Spirit empower you to act humbly?
Dear Jesus, please grant me grace to act with the humility You so vividly displayed and modeled for us during Your life and death.
Christ calls us to love each other by being hospitable. Learn more by reading Humble Hearts, Open Hands.
Today’s Insights
In John 1:19-28, John the Baptist offers a striking picture of humble leadership. When questioned by religious authorities, he refuses to elevate himself. He’s not the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet they were expecting. Instead, he identifies himself simply as “the voice of one calling in the wilderness” (v. 23), pointing others to the coming Jesus.
John’s leadership is defined by clarity of purpose—he knows who he is and who he isn’t. Rather than seeking recognition, he lowers himself, declaring that he’s unworthy even to untie the sandals of the one coming after him (v. 27). This posture of humility gives power to his witness. John’s role wasn’t to gather followers for himself, but to prepare the way for Christ. His example invites us to embrace humility and not seek our own recognition but to direct our attention to Jesus.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026 – MISSING THE DIVINE – Isaiah 53:1-6
Daily Bread Focuses: Christ, person/work; Relationships
Scriptures: 1 Peter 2:24; John 3:16; 12:37-38
Today’s Devotional
Most people avoided George Chase. He lived in a twelve-foot square shack in the woods where New England’s Pawcatuck River meets Little Narragansett Bay. To the locals, it was obvious George didn’t have a bathtub. They could smell the evidence.
One day a hurricane brought the Atlantic Ocean rushing over the seacoast, washing away the beachfront with its attractive homes. Survivors pulled themselves from the bay and began searching for refuge. Eleven of them, soaked and shivering, found it in George’s cabin. He gave them everything he had: water, milk, ginger tea, and shelter. After the hurricane of 1938, the townsfolk had a far different opinion of George Chase.
It’s sad when we make superficial judgments about others, yet it’s our nature to do so. We do that with Jesus too. We might picture Him as He’s portrayed in old paintings, serenely handsome. But the prophet Isaiah said of the Messiah, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him . . . . like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:2-3). Yet this man gave us everything He had. “He took up our pain and bore our suffering” (v. 4). He offered His life for ours.
It’s tragic when we miss the humanity of our fellow human beings. How much more tragic to miss the divinity of the One we despised!
Reflect & Pray
How might you look past outward appearances to see the humanity of others? When you think of Jesus, how do you picture Him?
Dear Jesus, please help me to see others as beautiful beings created in Your image.
Scripture tells us that we are made in God’s image, but what does that mean? Find out more by listening to this episode of Discover the Word.
Today’s Insights
When Christ taught in the temple during the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles, some asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?” He answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me” (John 7:15-16). He warned them to “stop judging by mere appearances” (v. 24). A similar episode happened in His hometown of Nazareth. The people asked, “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? . . . Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon?” (Mark 6:2-3). They missed the fact that Jesus stood among them and later willingly died for humanity’s sin (Isaiah 53:2-4). He offered His life for us and will help us to love others made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).
Wednesday, February 25, 2026 – ABUSING GOD’S NAME – Exodus 20:1-4, 7-8, 12-17
Daily Bread Focuses: Bible study; Reverence for God
Scriptures: 1 Samuel 2:22-25; Acts 1:15-17
Today’s Devotional
The vintage photograph from World War II, taken outside a town’s Nazi headquarters, carries a warning for all of us. In the photo, a comfortably dressed woman is crossing the street. A man in a suit walks down the sidewalk, while another has stopped to read a bulletin board on the corner of the building. All seem oblivious to the large banner hanging above the headquarters’ front door, half as long as the building. It reads, “By resisting the Jew, I fight for the work of the Lord.”
This kind of treachery is what God had in mind when He commanded, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:7). This command covers misusing His name when we curse or when we carelessly shout God’s name when we stub a toe or smash a finger. It also includes perversion—using God’s name as cover for evil.
We shouldn’t assume we’re doing God’s work simply because others say we are. We must prayerfully check our work with what God reveals in the Bible. How can we know we’re serving Him? Psalm 119:9 says, “By living according to your word.” The God who commands us to “always give [ourselves] fully to the work of the Lord” has told us what that work is in His holy book (1 Corinthians 15:58). Let’s listen to Him.
Reflect & Pray
What work have you done in the name of God? How do you know it was what He wanted?
Dear Father, please help me be wise, loving, and careful with what I do in Your name and help me guard Your name at all times.
God reveals His plans in unpredictable ways. Find out more by reading Scandalous Details and an Unexpected Hope.
Today’s Insights
The first five books of the Bible, the Torah, have many laws—613 according to Jewish reckoning—so it’s easy to miss their relational framework. The Ten Commandments begin: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” (Exodus 20:2). Their obedience to God’s commandments expressed loyalty to their rescuer.
There’s another purpose for obedience to these covenantal laws: “Observe them carefully, for . . . what other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?” (Deuteronomy 4:6-7). Israel’s obedience would reveal God’s character and presence to watching nations. To fail at this would bring dishonor to His holy name. Today, we can ask God to help us be wise in how we use His name as well.
Thursday, February 26, 2026 – GOD’S RAINBOW ANSWER – Genesis 9:12-16
Daily Bread Focuses: God’s character; Prayer
Scriptures: Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 32:40
Today’s Devotional
Owen was on holiday abroad when he received a disturbing message from a colleague: “The boss is looking to replace you.” Deeply upset, he prayed one morning at dawn and asked God, “Where are You?” Then he went to the window to open the curtains—and spotted a huge, beautiful rainbow suspended above the lake outside. Immediately a comforting warmth gushed over him. “It was as if God was simply telling me, ‘It’s okay; I’m here,’ ” he recounted later.
In Genesis 9, God promised not to destroy the earth through a flood again. He promised, “Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth” (v. 16). This covenant was everlasting and unconditional. It depended totally on God’s protection and provision, not on humanity’s performance. And it was just the first of many promises God would make to His people. Jesus, too, said, “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
God doesn’t promise that we won’t suffer. But He does promise His ever-present comfort and personal presence. We may not get “rainbow answers,” but we have His assurance that no matter what happens to us in life, He’s always there for us, and we can draw on His strength, comfort, and presence.
Reflect & Pray
In times of trouble and worry, what can you do to remind yourself of God’s presence? Which promises of His give you comfort?
Loving Father, thank You for Your presence, and please help me to remember Your promise to be with me always.
What does it mean that God is with us? Find out more by reading The Promise of Presence.
Today’s Insights
The story of the rainbow in Genesis 9 is preceded by the account of humanity’s sin: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time” (6:5). Their wickedness had reached such a level that God responded with judgment upon the world. For the conditions on earth to trigger such an expansive act of judgment is telling.
Still, God’s heart for the people remained. Many scholars estimate it would’ve taken about seventy-five years to build the ark—giving people time to respond to the warning of coming judgment. Following the great flood, God set a rainbow in the clouds—a symbol of biblical hope—as His promise to never destroy the world again by flood. Today, no matter what we face in life, we can be assured of God’s presence and faithfulness.
Friday, February 27, 2026 – PRAYER WALK – 2 Kings 4:31-35
Daily Bread Focuses: Discipleship; Living like Christ; Union with Christ
Scriptures: John 11:43-44; Acts 9:40
Today’s Devotional
I was stuck. I’d written half of a devotional article when my thoughts dried up. “God, what should I do?” I prayed. Remembering research that found that our creative output is boosted by an average of 60 percent when we walk, I headed out to the trail behind my house and continued my conversation with God. Thirty minutes later I was refreshed. I returned to my keyboard and finished the entry.
In 2 Kings 4:18-35, we read that Elisha and his servant, Gehazi, responded to a Shunammite woman’s plea to help her dead son. At Elisha’s instruction (v. 29), Gehazi laid his staff on the child (v. 31). Elisha prayed. Then he laid on top of the boy. At last, “Elisha . . . walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy . . . opened his eyes” (v. 35).
Scripture doesn’t tell us why Elisha “walked back and forth,” nor does it say what he was thinking. What we do know is that when Elisha’s prayers weren’t answered, he didn’t give up. It’s not difficult to picture him talking to God in this urgent situation.
What do you do when you’re stuck at a dead end and don’t know what to do? Perhaps a “prayer walk” is in order. Whether we head out to a trail for a walk or pace back and forth in our home, connecting to God when we’re in need brings answers that address our circumstances.
Reflect & Pray
Where are you stuck? How might you communicate with God in this situation so that He can direct you?
Dear God, when I find myself in stuck spots, please help me to walk with You.
Not sure about God’s calling for your life? Check out this 7-story Bible study to find out more about where God is leading you.
Today’s Insights
Elijah’s actions show the intensity of his prayer (2 Kings 4:33). Prayer is a spiritual activity that engages the human mind, heart, soul, and spirit. Since we’ve been commanded to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 nkjv), we know that prayer can happen any place, at any time, under any condition. The life of Jesus illustrates that the place and posture of prayer may vary. Mark 1:35 pictures an early-rising Jesus going to “a solitary place” to pray.
The prelude to selecting the twelve apostles was an all-night prayer meeting on a mountain (see Luke 6:12). When faced with the horrors of crucifixion, Christ prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Matthew describes the back-and-forth movements of Jesus between His prayer spot and His weary disciples (26:36-46). Even as He encouraged Peter, James, and John to watch and pray with Him, it’s likely that prayers to His Father continued to reverberate in His heart. Today, we can be assured that God hears our prayers and will help us.
Saturday, February 28, 2026 – FAITH OF FRIENDS – Mark 2:1-5
Our Daily Bread Focuses: Encouragement; Hope; Prayer; Suffering
Today’s Devotional
Attending a conference, a woman noticed that her friend—the day’s presenter—didn’t look well. She approached the presenter, who replied, “I’m going to get through this presentation. If I don’t feel better in the morning, I’ll go to the doctor.” The woman didn’t forget about the presenter’s promise. This friend had to leave early, but she asked another friend to check on the presenter.
In the morning, there was a knock at the presenter’s hotel door. The second friend had come to drive her to the hospital. There was no backing out, and—fortunately—she was given life-saving treatments in time. The persistence of friends had evidently helped to save her life.
Persistent friends can be a blessing, just like the men in Mark 2. They’d apparently heard about the healing power of Jesus and that He’d come to their town (v. 1). The people clambered to Christ, and there was “no room left” for the men to get their paralyzed friend to Him (v. 2). They didn’t let a crowd stop them from getting their friend the help he needed, however: “They made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered . . . the man” (v. 4) to Christ who healed him (vv. 11-12).
Let’s bring the needs of others to Jesus through persistent prayer. And as He provides what we need, let’s strive to help and love them well.
Reflect & Pray
How has the faith and persistence of friends helped you? What can you do to help someone today?
Healing God, thank You for persistent and faith-filled friends. Please help me to persistently lift others to You.
Consider how Jesus encouraged persistent prayer.
Today’s Insights
The men who brought the paralytic man to Jesus for healing were persistent and had gone to a lot of work—carrying him, digging up the roof tiles, and lowering him into the room where Christ was found. So imagine their reaction when Jesus instead granted him forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:1-5). After His authority to forgive sins was questioned by the religious leaders (vv. 6-7), He used the verifiable act of healing the man as proof of the unseen and impossible-to-verify authority to forgive sins (vv. 8-12).
As the men in Mark 2 had confidence in Christ’s ability to heal, we too can have confidence that when we come to God in prayer—with the needs of others or our own needs—He’ll hear us and provide what we need.
THIS WEEK’S INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT BY SISTER CLOVIA
THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES
There is no other name like the name of Jesus. It is through this Name that the dead are raised, the sick are healed, the bound are set free, and a person can attain eternal salvation. God has highly exalted Jesus Christ, seating Him at His right hand. There will come a time when every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess the Name of Jesus and the power it holds.
Jesus is the Name above all names, a title of supreme authority, healing, and light that breaks strongholds and brings hope. As the Savior, Messiah, and King of kings, this holy Name transcends all other names throughout history, commanding worship, bringing peace, and victory.
THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES
There is a name, a holy Name,
Above all others, without shame,
It speaks of healing, speaks of life,
A beacon in the darkest strife.
It is the Name that demons fear,
It dries the falling, lonely tear,
It calms the heart with anxious dread,
And lifts up every fallen head.
** Writer Unknown **
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.” — Philippians 2:9 KJV.
CHRISTIAN-BASED MOVIE FOR THE MONTH
***The Daily Devotionals are taken from Our Daily Bread Ministries and the Scriptures are from the BibleGateway.***
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