FOCUS OF THE MONTH (FOM)
HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK (SOW)
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. – Romans 15:13 KJV
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. – Romans 15:13 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, April 12, 2026 – SLOW ANGER – Joel 2:12-18
Our Daily Bread Focus(es): Anger; God’s character
Today’s Devotional
“Slow television” is the term used to describe marathon coverage of an event, typically shown in real time. The genre gained popularity in 2009 after the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast a seven-hour train journey. Yes, seven hours, on a train. Sounds . . . boring. But it’s gained an audience that finds the scenic ride mesmerizing.
The concept behind slow TV is to show something at the rate it’s experienced instead of the speed with which a narrative drama is told. It’s built around transition and movement instead of tension and plot. Slow TV is a step toward savoring life’s minutes as opposed to counting them.
The poet Francis Thompson wrote of God’s “unperturbed pace.” Thompson meant that God moves methodically, patiently, with steps measured and intentional. We see this slowness even with God’s emotions. In Scripture, the prophet Joel’s call for the people of Judah to repent is grounded in the reality that our God is “slow to anger” (Joel 2:13). Unlike our dramatic narratives, often fueled by tempers and flying-off-the-handle selfishness, God takes a different approach. His anger arrives slowly. To a people who had rebelled against Him, God says, “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God” (v. 13).
God’s anger isn’t like ours. He’s slow to anger, a reality that allows us to return to Him with all our hearts.
Reflect & Pray
When and how has God seemed to move slowly in your life? Why is He slow to anger and quick to be compassionate?
Dear God, You’re slow to anger, and I’m ever thankful.
Today’s Insights
The prophet Joel warns Judah of the coming “day of the Lord,” a dreadful, fearful time of judgment upon God’s people for their unfaithfulness (Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14, 18). But for those who “[call] on the name of the Lord” (2:32), this day will be a day of salvation and deliverance. God invites Judah, “return to me with all your heart” (v. 12).
Joel says that sincere repentance may change God’s mind about sending such discipline (v. 14) because He’s “merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish” (v. 13 nlt). Earlier in their history, against the backdrop of the great sin of idolatry (Exodus 32), God had similarly revealed Himself as “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness . . . forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (34:6-7). God invites everyone to “rend your heart and . . . return to the Lord” (Joel 2:13).
Monday April 13, 2026 – THE POWER OF GRACE – Ephesians 2:1-9
Daily Bread Focus(es): Mercy; Salvation
Scripture(s): 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Today’s Devotional
When Mark was pulled over by an officer for driving while intoxicated, he was afraid his college football career was over. He was sure he was going to jail. But the policeman instead dropped him off at his college. When Mark asked why, he said, “I’m giving you grace.”
Still, the young man was certain his coach would find out, and he’d lose his scholarship. So when his coach asked to see Mark after practice the next day, he was very apprehensive. Surprisingly the coach said, “I know what happened last night, but I’m giving you grace.” He then suggested that Mark consider attending church the next Sunday.
He went. And guess what the pastor talked about? The grace of Jesus in offering us salvation when we don’t deserve it. Mark got the message. That day, he trusted Jesus as Savior, and he spent the rest of his life serving Him—starting a ranch for boys who need a second chance—who need grace.
It’s by God’s grace that believers in Jesus “have been saved” (Ephesians 2:8). Grace does what good works can’t do (v. 9; Romans 11:6). It’s a gift provided by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.
The burden of our sin doesn’t have to weigh us down. As Mark discovered, God’s grace can free us and give us life “to the full” (John 10:10).
Reflect & Pray
How have you experienced God’s grace in your life? What are some ways you can show it to others?
Dear God, thank You for showering Your grace on me. Please help my life to be marked by grace and mercy.
Today’s Insights
When C. S. Lewis was asked what makes Christianity unique, he didn’t hesitate: “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.” God’s grace is the overarching theme of Ephesians 2. Paul points out how, without grace, we wouldn’t even be aware of our spiritual condition. “You [all of us] were dead in your transgressions and sins,” he wrote (v. 1).
A dead body can do nothing to rescue itself. And we were all spiritually dead, “gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts” (v. 3). But God “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (v. 5). It’s all God’s grace, “so that no one can boast” (v. 9). God’s grace draws us to Him. God’s grace keeps us. His grace sets us free “to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (v. 10).
Visit go.odb.org/041326 to learn about the extent of God’s grace in offering us salvation.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 – HARVEST HIS BLESSING – Leviticus 26:3-12
Daily Bread Focus(es): Blessings; God’s love and care
Scripture(s): Revelation 21:3
Today’s Devotional
Alan is a fifth-generation fruit farmer who manages his family’s cherry, peach, and apple orchard. Over the years, his family has perfected growing trees with maximum yield. They’ve carefully planted saplings for the future, put up a deer fence, and invested in special fans that help keep the air warm when frost threatens their crops. Even so, they’re never assured of a good harvest. Factors like weather, pollinators, and disease are beyond their control.
Yet all of nature is under God’s control. He knows we need physical provision like healthy crops, but He encourages us to look even higher to the ultimate good—Himself. The book of Leviticus contains decrees that God gave the Israelites governing everything from sacrifice and worship to relationships and criminal justice. Obeying His direction would lead to blessing, including provision of a bountiful harvest (26:3-4), but disobedience would result in a curse, where their enemies would enjoy the fruit of their labor (v. 16). More than just plentiful crops (v. 10), God’s blessing included a promise to dwell with His people (v. 11) and look on them “with favor” (v. 9).
The Israelites messed up again and again. So will we. But we can repent, submit, and turn back again to enjoy the gift of His presence (vv. 40-42), manifested in Jesus and now expressed through the Holy Spirit.
Reflect & Pray
In what ways are you seeking peace and provision on your own? What does it look like to walk in God’s presence and in His ways?
May I dwell with You as I follow Your pattern for life, dear God.
Today’s Insights
In Leviticus 26, God promised His people that obedience to His commands would result in their land flourishing with abundant harvest and peace from war. The most significant promise is found in verse 12: “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.” At the same time, the chapter warns that rejecting God’s ways would result in famine, defeat in war, and eventually exile from God’s land and presence (vv. 14-35).
Yet God assured them that, even then, if His people repented, He’d “remember [His] covenant” (v. 42) with them and bring restoration. Because of God’s faithfulness (v. 44), there’d always be a path back to His presence. The same is true for us today. When we confess our sins, we can enjoy the gift of His presence.
Learn more about overcoming what keeps us from Jesus.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 – AGENTS OF A HIGHER KING – Philippians 3:4-11
Daily Bread Focus(es): Citizenship; Community; Identity in Christ; Service
Scripture(s): 1 Peter 2:11-21
Today’s Devotional
Anna and her husband lived in Argentina with their two children. They kept to themselves and spoke only fluent Spanish. But they weren’t Argentines. They were sleeper agents, spies who’d been born in another country. They’d mastered blending into their host culture, down to how to hold their forks. But a change in their civil registry aroused suspicion, and eventually the couple was caught. As the family was being flown to their true homeland, Anna looked at her eleven-year-old daughter. How would she break the news that they weren’t who her daughter thought?
Believers in Jesus have a citizenship even more vital. We’re agents of a higher king, for “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). The citizens of Philippi were proud of their Roman citizenship; they loyally served Rome as they lived in Philippi. Paul said their loyalty stretched even further. Their highest allegiance was to Jesus, who ruled Rome and Philippi from heaven.
Unlike Anna and her husband, we’re not working secretly against our “host country.” We’re openly working for its good. Our loyalty to Jesus prompts us to serve our neighbors and pray for “all those in authority, that we may live . . . in all godliness” (1 Timothy 2:2). With God’s help we will “seek the peace and prosperity” of our city. We will “pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers,” we “too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7).
Reflect & Pray
How might your allegiance to Jesus serve your neighbors? How might you show that help today?
Gracious Father, please help me encourage my neighbors.
Today’s Insights
The church at Philippi, established by Paul on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:6-40), was a faithful church that actively supported his ministry (Philippians 1:5; 4:15-19). The apostle encourages the believers in Jesus to live exemplary lives “in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (1:27) even though they lived in a city that opposed and persecuted them (v. 28). Paul tells them to serve the church and the city with much joy in “the same mindset as Christ Jesus” (2:5), imitating His selfless, humble, and sacrificial servanthood (vv. 1-8). As citizens of heaven (3:20), believers are to “work hard to show the results of [their] salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear” (2:12 nlt). Because of our faith in Jesus, we’re to be “blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault’ ” (v. 15) as we serve our neighbors and pray for those in authority.
Learn how to “love your neighbor as yourself” in every aspect of your everyday life.
Thursday, April 16, 2026 – HOLLOW WILLOW – Proverbs 11:11-13
Daily Bread Focus(es): Community; Influencing people; Wisdom
Scripture(s): James 1:8-10
Today’s Devotional
When explaining how valuable he found time with an older advisor who regularly listened to his concerns, Tomáš said, “He is my hollow willow.” When I looked at him blankly, Tomáš explained that the phrase is a Slovak expression signifying someone who keeps your secrets. In essence, the person is like a willow tree holding confidential information safely within its trunk.
It’s a treasure to have someone to whom we can confide our deepest fears and longings. Perhaps speaking from his own experience, in a section of Proverbs highlighting the power of our words, King Solomon commended the individual who displays discretion or can “[hold] their tongue” (Proverbs 11:12). He also contrasted two people: “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret” (v. 13). The comparison is a helpful reminder to carefully steward private conversations, though we shouldn’t remain silent if we’re genuinely concerned for someone’s safety.
In our digital world where we can quickly spread information, it can be tempting (and easy) to share juicy details that might generate reactions. But gossip not only hurts the individual who trusted you enough to share, it also causes significant damage to relationships when confidences are broken. We can all aspire to be “hollow willows,” people of integrity who can be trusted to keep a confidence.
Reflect & Pray
Who’s someone you know that embodies the ideal of a “hollow willow?” How might you hold others’ words well?
Dear God, please help me steward others’ words responsibly.
Today’s Insights
Along with today’s passage, the book of Proverbs has much to say about the trouble gossiping causes. Proverbs 16:28 states, “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” Twice we read, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts” (18:8; 26:22). In the NLT Study Bible, a note on 18:8 says: “It’s as hard to refuse to listen to rumors or gossip as it is to turn down a delicious dessert. Taking just one morsel of either one creates a taste for more.” Verse 20:19 warns, “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.” Listening to or spreading gossip destroys friendships and leads to a desire for more gossip. As believers in Jesus, God can help us be people of integrity who use speech that honors Him.
Listen and learn more about rediscovering friendship.
Friday, April 17, 2026 – STRENGTH TO ENDURE – 2 Timothy 4:6-8
Daily Bread Focus(es): Living for Christ
Scriptures(s): Philippians 4:13
Today’s Devotional
Mark—a marathoner and a dedicated pastor who served two churches over the span of thirty-five years—recently retired. One gift presented to him was a pair of new running shoes. I ran with Mark once over twenty years ago, but throughout his life, he’s run the 26.2-mile race in numerous cities across the country. At his retirement celebration, people from the community and the churches he served also expressed their appreciation for Mark’s faithfulness. Because of God’s power and grace, Mark finished well.
Life’s more like a marathon than a sprint. At times we experience fatigue and we feel like giving up. Yet God’s grace and strength are unending for those who trust Him. As the imprisoned apostle Paul neared the finish line of life (2 Timothy 4:6), he encouraged his protégé Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (v. 7). Life’s paths take us to different places. But regardless of where we are on life’s journey, it’s always good to remember that faith-filled endurance is essential and rewarding (v. 8); that God is the source of our strength (v. 17); and that, by His grace, he “will bring [us] safely to his heavenly kingdom” (v. 18).
Reflect & Pray
When have you experienced God’s strength even as you wanted to give up? How can others’ Spirit-empowered endurance inspire you?
Dear Father, please help me to ever be mindful that those who trust in You are candidates for supernatural strength—“they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
For further study, read For When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong.
Today’s Insights
It’s remarkable to consider how much the apostle Paul suffered in his service for Christ and the gospel (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-28), and yet he stayed true to his calling and “finished the race” that had been set before him (2 Timothy 4:6-8). How was he able to endure such hardship?
He answered that question himself in 2 Corinthians 12:9 while discussing one particular season of suffering. He learned that God’s grace was sufficient, and his weakness wasn’t a liability: “[The Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ ” It was the opening through which God’s mighty power could flow. Today, when we face trials that cause us to feel like giving up, we can lean into His grace and rest in His power and strength.
Saturday, April 18, 2026 – THE ENDS OF THE EARTH – Acts 1:6-11
Our Daily Bread Focus(es): Disciple-making; Evangelism
Today’s Devotional
Kiribati, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, is the only nation in the world that exists in all four hemispheres of the globe. The thirty-three islands of Kiribati straddle both the equator and the 180th meridian. It’s also one of the most remote nations in the world.
We serve a God who cares about these remote places. As Jesus prepared His disciples for His return to heaven, He told them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). “To the ends of the earth” is a call to take the message of the gospel to the world’s most isolated spots. But the call wasn’t limited to remote places only. It included their current location of Jerusalem and the nearby regions of Judea and Samaria.
After Jesus gave these parting words to His disciples, “He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (v. 9). Two angels appeared and said, “This same Jesus . . . will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (v. 11).
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important news anyone can ever hear. The challenge for us as His ambassadors is to share that news. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can see that everyone—near and far—gets a chance to hear.
Reflect & Pray
What does it mean to be Jesus’ witnesses “to the ends of the earth”? How does His command inspire you to share His love with others?
Dear Father, please give me a heart for those who don’t know You.
Today’s Insights
The plan that Jesus gave His disciples in Acts 1:8 unfolds throughout the book of Acts. In the very next chapter, the power that Christ promised would come to all the disciples who were gathered in the upper room (2:1-12). Immediately after this event, Peter proclaimed to thousands of listening ears in Jerusalem the story of Jesus and the promise of salvation through Him (vv. 14-39). Over the next several chapters, Peter would go to the believing Samaritans who’d heard Philip’s preaching, and they too would receive the power of the Holy Spirit (8:4-17). Finally, the gentile centurion Cornelius and his family would respond to the gospel and, through Peter’s preaching, they and all who heard the message and believed in Christ—both Jews and gentiles—were marked with the Spirit (ch. 10). When we embrace His call and follow His plan, we can carry the message of the gospel wherever we go in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Discover more about evangelism and reaching out through relationships.
THIS WEEK’S INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT BY SISTER CLOVIA
💪🏾 STRENGTH FOR TODAY 💪🏾
One of my favorite songs is Jesus Loves Me. Although it is a children’s song, it conveys a very important message, especially the line that says, “We are weak, but He is strong.” It is impossible to live in our own strength. 2 Timothy 4:17 states that “The Lord will stand with you and give you strength.” This verse gives us two promises from God.
1. He stands with us. When we are going through hard times, the Bible tells us Jesus stands with us in life, no matter what comes our way. He holds our hand, reassuring us that He is not going anywhere.
2. He gives us strength. When we are at our weakest, God steps in. The Bible says His mercies are new every morning. God gives us what we need when we need it. We just need to ask.
When the hard times come, be assured of these two promises. He is standing right beside you, and He will give you the strength you lack to persevere.
Hand over your troubles to God, and you’ll find the strength you need to face each day.
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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