#021826

021826 FEBRUARY 18 2026, WEDNESDAY Entry: 9:53am, Fairview QC

VERSE OF THE DAY: 2 TIMOTHY 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.

KEEP THE FAITH In the book of 2 Timothy, we find Paul writing a letter to Timothy, a fellow missionary. Many Bible scholars believe that this was the last letter Paul wrote before his death and that he wrote it from a Roman prison cell. Reflecting on his own life and believing that his death is coming soon, Paul writes that powerful message:

Faithful.

Paul was faithful to God and, without end, God was faithful to Paul. Shipwrecked. Stoned. Abandoned goes on and on, but he persevered. He remained steadfast in his devotion to Christ. When you think about your life, what do you want to be able to say at the end? What will you see when you look back? In Paul, we see an example of what it is to cling to faith in Christ. He drew strength from God because he could not do it without Him.

In our own lives, we will face moments of doubt or discouragement. Let us hold fast to the truth of God's Word, knowing that He is faithful and will never leave us. May it be said of us, at the end of our lives, that we, too, fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.

BE ENCOURAGED Be courageous. Be persistent. Keep fighting the good fight. Keep running your race!

SHARE YOUR FAITH Someone you know is struggling today. Take a moment to reach out to them, and encourage them to stay in the fight.

God, thank You that life with You is a race worth running. At the end of my life I want to be able to say that I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. How do I live this out? Teach me, God! Help me do this well. In Jesus' name, Amen.

PSALMS 150:6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Imagine every single one of God's creations praising Him for His goodness. Take a moment to bless God with your praises.

JOHN 14:26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative-that is, the Holy Spirit- he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Whatever you're going through, you have someone advocating for you. Keep that in mind as you bring your concerns to God.

Father God, thank You that I can call You "Father"! I can know You by name. What an amazing gift that I don't deserve. You never fail me, You always love me, and You give me hope for my future. Thank You! All glory, honor, and praise belong to You, Father! in Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE READING: LEVITICUS 23-24 MARK 1:1-22 THE APPOINTED FESTIVALS the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day PASSOVER AND THE FESTIVAL OF UNLEAVENED BREAD For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord CELEBRATION OF FIRST HARVEST It will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord THE FESTIVAL OF HARVEST “When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the Lord your God.” THE FESTIVAL OF TRUMPETS On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. THE DAY OF ATONEMENT You must observe it as an official day for holy assembly, a day to deny yourselves and present special gifts to the Lord. offerings of purification are made for you, making you right with the Lord your God. THE FESTIVAL OF SHELTERS This will be a solemn occasion, For seven days you must live outside in little shelters.This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” PURE OIL AND HOLY BREAD Aaron must keep the lamps burning in the Lord’s presence all night. Every Sabbath day this bread must be laid out before the Lord as a gift from the Israelites; it is an ongoing expression of the eternal covenant. AN EXAMPLE OF PUNISHMENT Those who curse their God will be punished for their sin. JESUS' TRIUMPHANT ENTRY “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 10Blessings on the coming Kingdom of our ancestor David! Praise God in highest heaven!” JESUS CURSES THE FIG TREE there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it. JESUS CLEARS THE TEMPLE “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” “Have faith in God. 23I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

JOEL 2:21-27 21Don’t be afraid, O land. Be glad now and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things. 22Don’t be afraid, you animals of the field, for the wilderness pastures will soon be green. The trees will again be filled with fruit; fig trees and grapevines will be loaded down once more. 23Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the Lord your God! For the rain he sends demonstrates his faithfulness. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. 24The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and olive oil. 25The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts, the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced. 27Then you will know that I am among my people Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and there is no other. Never again will my people be disgraced. INSIGHT For believers in Jesus, perhaps the greatest impact of Joel 2 comes when Peter quotes a portion of it during his Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:17-21) and rightly shows the timeless nature of God’s plan for the rescue and restoration of His lost creation (Joel 2:28-32). Yet, while Peter used Joel 2 to help explain the divine purpose behind the events of those recent days in Jerusalem (Acts 2:22-24), some of the things Joel prophesied would reach even further into the future: “I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below . . . . The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord” (Acts 2:19-20; see Joel 2:30-31). The events preceding Pentecost fulfilled one part of these prophecies, and Christ’s return will fulfill the rest! His faithful ways allow us to experience a relationship with Him and a bright future in His presence.

By: Bill Crowder

DIVINE RESTORATION My heart sank. My mind started to swirl. A friend who’d been helping set up my new laptop accidentally deleted all the photos and videos I’d transferred to it. Years of precious memories with family and friends were all gone in an instant. Panic set in. I’d never be able to recreate those cherished moments from past holidays, travels, and special occasions. Before sentimental me could have a complete meltdown, my friend said he was hopeful he could recover my files. Thankfully, a few agonizing hours later I was overjoyed to see my special media files reappear.

I waited anxiously for only a few hours, but the fear was real. Loss can be scary and painful. In Joel 2, the prophet called the people of Judah to repentance after devastation by a horde of locusts that destroyed the grain fields, vineyards, gardens, and trees. The prophet had warned the people of the impending consequences of their rebellion against God. But God hadn’t abandoned them. He would help and bring restoration if they placed their trust in God: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten” (2:25).

God restored Judah when they turned to Him. God wants to restore you as well.

Whatever circumstances you’re in, you can turn to God and trust Him—knowing that He’s “the Lord your God, and that there is no other” (v. 27). He is faithful to help you recover from what was lost and bring you into a relationship with Him.

By: Nancy Gavilanes

REFLECT AND PRAY How has God helped you during loss? How can you turn to God in your current situation?

Dear God, thank You for restoring me. in Jesus' name, Amen.

MISUNDERSTOOD Feeling misunderstood can be so hard on our hearts. Sitting across from someone who doesn’t give us the benefit of the doubt, or chooses to believe the worst about us can feel crushing. We exhaust ourselves trying to get someone to understand what our intentions were or what we truly meant.

So, what do we do when we feel misunderstood but there’s nothing we can do to 'fix' the other person’s perspective?

We can look to Jesus. Who else in the Bible understands this as much as He does? He, being the Son of God, perfect in every way, was mocked, called a liar, + even His own family once said He was out of His mind! If Jesus, who had perfect motives in all He did, was misunderstood, how much more will we experience this in our lives?

Being dismissed or judged by others is painful, but we can bring this pain to God and allow Him to refine us through it. He knows our thoughts + motives and can sort through it all to gently correct us where needed and encourage us where we got it right.

We must choose to remember that our God is with us, fighting for us, and that He can use these 'misunderstood' moments to shape us to be more like Him.

PSALMS 139:1-2 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

JEREMIAH 12:3 3But as for me, Lord, you know my heart. You see me and test my thoughts. Drag these people away like sheep to be butchered! Set them aside to be slaughtered!

PSALMS 147:5 5How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!

JOHN 15:18 18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.

HEBREWS 12:3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

PSALMS 46:1 1God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

MATTHEW 7:1-5 1 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

ROMANS 2:1 1You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things.

JAMES 4:11-12 11Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?