DBF-001-034 continues with John 2:13. John now moves from the quiet days in Capernaum to Jerusalem at Passover. This verse begins an important change of scene that will reveal Christ’s concern for the holiness of His Father’s house. DAILY BREAD FELLOWSHIP DBF-001-034 Today’s Scripture John 2:13 (ESV) “The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” Opening the Scriptures Jesus had spent a few days in Capernaum with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples. Now John takes us to Jerusalem. The reason was Passover. Passover was one of Israel’s great appointed feasts. It looked back to the time when God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. On that first Passover night, judgment came upon Egypt, while the Israelites were protected according to God’s command concerning the blood of the Passover lamb. Generation after generation remembered God’s mighty act of deliverance. Now Jesus Himself was going to Jerusalem for Passover. John has already introduced Him with the remarkable words of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The full significance of those words has not yet unfolded. But John is directing our attention toward Christ. Living God’s Word Today Passover reminded Israel that deliverance came from God. That remains an essential truth for us. Human beings naturally want to contribute something toward their acceptance before God. We trust our morality. We remember our good deeds. We compare ourselves with people whom we consider worse than ourselves. We may even trust our church attendance, religious service, or knowledge of Scripture. But none of these things can remove our sin. Salvation belongs to the Lord. The Passover pointed backward to God’s deliverance from Egypt, but it also helps us understand the greater deliverance accomplished through Jesus Christ. The New Testament identifies Christ as our Passover Lamb. He did what we could never do for ourselves. He lived without sin. He willingly went to the cross. He bore the judgment deserved by sinners. He rose from the dead. Our hope before God therefore rests not upon the strength of our religious performance but upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. This should also produce humility. We cannot boast about rescuing ourselves. We cannot look down upon another sinner as though we earned our place before God. If we are saved, we are recipients of grace. Jesus was traveling toward Jerusalem. The disciples could not yet understand everything that Jerusalem would eventually mean. But the Lamb of God was moving according to His Father’s purpose. Today, remember where your confidence must rest. Not in yourself. Not in your goodness. Not in your religious activity. In Christ alone. Question for Today What are you trusting in for your acceptance before a holy God? Respond: “My hope is in Jesus Christ alone.”

Three Angels Broadcasting Network Devotional. A Word Fitly Spoken By Shelley Quinn August 27th, 2026 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11 God has given me a consistently positive attitude—a heart that overflows with thanksgiving. He taught me the power of life and death is in the tongue. I confess His Word over my life and speak it into the lives of others. I know His Word is living and powerful and will not return to Him void but will accomplish the purpose for which He sent it. I’m telling you this to establish that faith is an essential aspect of my being. A false teaching on faith caused me to walk away from God for a time in my twenties. My non-denominational church taught me to have faith “in faith.” In other words, if I could ratchet up enough faith, God was obliged to act. Hoping my mother would be healed of her bi-polar condition, I was convinced my faith would bring her healing. It didn’t. Disillusioned, I turned my back on God until He chased me down with His love. God must be the object of our faith. Trusting His unfailing love and His faithfulness is true biblical faith. Faith is not a denial of facts—it’s reliance upon God in the midst of troubling circumstances. Which brings me to my point. A “positivity” wave has rolled over some Christian circles. Their insistent demand on avoiding all negativity deeply troubles me because it is a toxic additive to biblical faith. Authentic expression of emotion is rejected, labeled as lack of faith, and met with positive platitudes. Personal feelings are invalidated with quick responses like, “It could be worse” or “Count your blessings,” bringing shame on those who are gripped by pain. Are we guilty of using God’s Word to silence others? Rather than intentional listening, do we gush out positivity with the pressure of a firehose? Like the calloused “comforters” of the patriarch Job, do our words hurt—rather than heal? Emotional distress is our shared human experience. It will not be denied! Try suppressing it, and it will rear its ugly head in sleeplessness, crying jags, anxiety, panic attacks, prolonged stress, and spiritual paralysis. Oh, may we be authentic communicators like Jesus! He wept with Martha over Lazarus’ death. He wept over Jerusalem. He told of His impending death and warned His followers of tribulations. May we freely express our laments as the saints of old recorded in Scripture. Granting ourselves permission to speak our discomfort can provide release and open the way for God’s healing. Just read the Psalms to see how honest laments led to an acknowledgment of our all-loving God and hope in His rescue. Scripture advises we “weep with those who weep” and be “swift to hear, slow to speak.” We owe it to others to listen with the intention of understanding their pain and offering compassion. Only then can we speak a word in due season—the right word at the right time. A word fitly spoken can shine God’s light into the darkness of the soul and restore hope.

Guidelines for living. August 27, 2026 Why You Should Cultivate Excellence in Your Life Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 The greatest accomplishments in life - believe it or not - are made not by the smartest people in the world but by those who didn't know enough to quit. They were the ones who kept trying, kept plodding, kept practicing, who kept investigating until they stumbled onto success. That fact was driven home to me when I was studying in the university. There were two men in my classes who were geniuses. Their IQs were way up there. At the end of a class, they slapped their books shut and generally didn't open them. They were smart. Frankly, I was among those who had to dig it out. People thought I was really gifted; no, I just knew how to work and to study. My parents spent hard earned money and sent me to school to study, not party. I knew why I was there and I made the most of the opportunity. Learning to apply myself was something I happened to grow up with, but everybody didn't have a dad who cut the handles off of brooms, making them short enough for me to use as a kid, or has you work alongside him. But you can learn to work. You can develop discipline yourself. You can set goals and eventually reach them. One of my heroes was Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with his Sherpa guide, Tensing, crested Mount Everest for the first time. Awesome achievement, and that before a lot of high-tech gear which climbers use today. When asked how he accomplished this when others had failed, he replied that when he was tempted to turn back, he took just one more step. William Carey, the father of modern missions, said that his greatest ability was to plod in the face of adversity. When Thomas Edison had tried 10,000 ways to produce an incandescent globe and hadn't succeeded, he was urged to quit. He responded that he had found 10,000 ways that wouldn't work. And he would eventually find one that did. He did! I've sometimes wondered how many determined, stubborn individuals we have today with that same tenacity. The foundation of our modern achievements was laid by thousands of unknown individuals who lived in obscurity and died unknown, who faithfully contributed to what has enabled us to send men to the moon, to circle the globe with communication, and to accomplish great and mighty things through technology and science. They laid the foundation; we have built upon their research, hard work, and trial and error. Their strength and energy, like a gradually falling barometer, were meted out in hard work, years of often-unrecognized service, and yes, blood, sweat and tears. But they did not quit. They did not look for something with less work and more money attached to it. I've been told that in an European Cathedral, high in the rafters where no one ever goes, are some intricate carvings of exquisite beauty, done by a master craftsman whose name has long since been lost to posterity. Why did he take time to do some of his finest work, using an abutment of wood that will never be seen by the public? He valued excellence. He took seriously the admonition of the Bible that instructs: "Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Cultivate excellence. Make it a passion. Refuse to let the world and our culture shove you into the mold of mediocrity. Thank God for teachers who inspire excellence, for mothers who have the patience to bring the best out of their children, for dads who have the patience to teach a little boy how to do something. Do it, friend. Someday, you will be very glad you did. Resource Reading: Ecclesiastes 9:1-10

Three Angels’ Messages? The Three Angels’ Messages are God’s special messages for last-day Christians. This message is to be shared with the world and will reach its climax with the second coming of Jesus. This threefold message appears in Revelation 14:6-16. The First Angel’s Message The first angel proclaims the everlasting gospel and calls for the restoration of the true worship of God as Creator, because the judgment hour has arrived. Read more about the first angel’s message “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’” (Revelation 14:6, 7). The Second Angel’s Message The second angel warns against all humanly-originated forms of worship and beliefs that are not based completely on God’s Word. Read more about the second angel’s message “Another angel followed, saying, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication’” (Revelation 14:8). The Third Angel’s Message Finally, the third angel proclaims God’s solemn warning against worshiping the beast and his image. Read more about the third angel’s message “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation....they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:9-12). Note: though Scripture symbolically portrays these messages as being proclaimed by three angels, it is actually God’s people—His last-day church—who deliver them to the world. Additionally, two groups emerge—those who choose to follow God’s Word completely and those who choose to mix biblical teachings with human traditions. Accept Jesus Christ as your savior, while there is still time. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 Keep all of God's commandments including the fourth Commandment (the Seventh day Sabbath). If you love Me keep My Commandments John 14:15. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. John 15:10 His answer: (Jesus) "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" Matthew 19:17 (Emphasis added). Salvation is all of grace and not of works, and its fruit is obedience to the Commandments. This obedience develops Christian character and results in a sense of well-being. It is evidence of our love for the Lord and our concern for our fellow human beings.

Let's talk about it. YOUR MIND AND HEART NEED GOD’S WORD Just as a plant cannot grow without water, our mind and heart cannot truly flourish without the Word of God. Every day, we are surrounded by voices—opinions, distractions, temptations, fears, and worries. What we continually feed our minds will eventually shape our thoughts, and what fills our hearts will eventually influence our words, choices, and actions. That is why we must intentionally water our lives with God’s Word DAILY. When you are discouraged, read His promises. When you are confused, seek His wisdom. When you are tempted, remember His truth. When you are afraid, hold on to His Word. When you are tired, let His presence renew you. The Bible is not merely a book to display—it is God’s truth to live by. It corrects us when we are wrong, strengthens us when we are weak, guides us when we are lost, and reminds us of who God is when life becomes difficult. A neglected plant withers. A heart neglected from God grows cold. A mind without God’s truth becomes vulnerable to deception. But a life continually nourished by God’s Word becomes stronger in faith. Don’t wait until Sunday to hear from God. Open your Bible every day. Pray. Meditate. Listen. Obey. Water your mind. Water your heart. Water your soul with the Word of God. Because what you feed daily will eventually grow. «“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” — Matthew 4:4» Stay in the Word. Stay in prayer. Stay close to Jesus.

The Advent Truth. There is a difference between struggling with sin and settling into sin. A struggle means there is a WAR. You fall, you hate that you fell, you confess it, you get back up, and by the grace of Christ you keep fighting. “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again” (Proverbs 24:16). But we need to stop calling deliberate, planned, cherished disobedience a “struggle” simply because the word makes us feel better about it. Jesus did not die merely to forgive us while leaving us enslaved to the very sins that nailed Him to the cross. The angel said, “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Grace does not make sin safe. Paul asked the question plainly: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid” (Romans 6:1-2). Biblical repentance is more than feeling guilty afterward. It is a change of mind that produces a change of direction. Yes, Christians can stumble. Yes, Christians can have deeply rooted sins that take earnest warfare, prayer, discipline, and dependence upon Christ to overcome. But there is an enormous difference between falling in battle and making peace with the enemy. God knows the difference. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). And here is the good news: you do not have to remain a slave. Jesus says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Don't lower God's standard because you've fallen short of it. Run to Christ. Confess it. Forsake it. Get back up. Surrender again. We don't need a gospel that teaches us how to become comfortable in bondage. We need the Gospel that sets captives free.

A Nugget of Truth. THE LAW OF GOD WILL BE THE STANDARD OF JUDGMENT Christ did not teach His followers to run from the Scriptures. He repeatedly appealed to the Word of God. Jesus said, “Have ye not read in the scriptures?” (Matthew 21:42). He also declared, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Paul did the same. He said, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). He also taught that “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12). The apostles did not teach believers that God’s Law had become meaningless. John wrote, “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3). He further declared, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). So why does much of Christianity today suddenly declare that God’s Law is no longer binding? Could it be because people want Christ without His commandments? Grace without obedience? Faith without transformation? We must be careful. We cannot reject a commandment simply because we do not want to obey it. And when the world stands before God in judgment, human opinions will not be the standard. The Bible says, “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:12). Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 gives the solemn conclusion: “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment.” Judgment is coming. The question is not, “What does my church say?” The question is: What has God said? The Law does not save us. Christ saves us. But the grace that saves us does not teach us to despise the Law of the God who saved us. When God judges, His Word—not our traditions, preferences, or excuses—will have the final authority. Do not run from God’s Law because you are uncomfortable with one of its commandments. Search the Scriptures. Test everything by the Word of God. Christ is our Savior. His Word is our standard. And judgment is certain. Amazing Love

Daily Devotional Be eyes to the blind; Feet to the lame. I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame. Job 29:15 Watch carefully, prayerfully, conscientiously, lest the mind become so engrossed with many important business transactions that true godliness is overlooked and love is quenched from the soul, notwithstanding the great and pitiful need of your being God’s helping hand to the blind and to all others who are unfortunate. The most friendless demand the most attention. Use your time and strength in learning to be “fervent in spirit,” to deal justly, and to love mercy, “serving the Lord.” Remember that Christ says, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” God requires His people to be far more pitiful and considerate of the unfortunate than they are.... God requires that the same consideration which should be given to the widow and fatherless be given to the blind and to those suffering under the affliction of other physical infirmities. Disinterested benevolence is very rare in this age of the world.... It is strange that professed Christian men should disregard the plain, positive teachings of the Word of God and feel no compunction of conscience. God places upon them the responsibility of caring for the unfortunate, the blind, the lame, the widow, and the fatherless; but many make no effort to regard it. There is a great work to be done in our world, and as we approach the close of earth’s history, it does not lessen in the least degree; but when the perfect love of God is in the heart, wonderful things will be done. [244]

SELF-PITY IS ALSO A STRONGHOLD There is a world people can build inside themselves. A world called self-pity. Self-pity says: "Nobody understands me." "Nobody sees what I have suffered." "Nobody appreciates me." "Look at everything that has happened to me." Now, there are real difficulties in life. People go through painful experiences. People have been hurt, but there is a difference between acknowledging pain and building your identity around pain. Self-pity keeps bringing you back to yourself. Everything becomes about your disappointment. Everything becomes about what people did to you. Everything becomes about what you did not receive. And slowly, you become trapped in a world where you are always the victim. Look at Elijah. After Jezebel threatened him, he ran away and sat under a tree. When God asked him what he was doing there, Elijah answered by focusing on himself. He said he had been very jealous for The Lord,.... but he was the only one left (1 Kings 19:10) But Elijah was not seeing the situation correctly. God still had people, and He was still working. The problem was not that Elijah had experienced difficulty. The problem was that his pain had become his entire perspective. Self-pity can make you forget God's bigger picture. It can make you abandon your assignment. You must burn down that world — not because your pain is fake, but because your pain cannot become your master. You are not only what happened to you. You are not only what people did to you. You are a child of God with a purpose. Do not allow self-pity to become a place you live. God has more for you than constantly looking at yourself and your wounds. Remember this Scripture and let The Word spoken there be your comfort: Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith The LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Shalom!

Mateo may be the hero of the story. But none of his journeys would happen without Verbum Aeternum. It rests inside an abandoned church in the mountains of Nicaragua. Father Tomás watches over it. Doña Rosa knows about it. And both seem to understand far more than they're willing to tell Mateo. At first, Verbum appears to be an enormous, ancient Bible. But is it? In today's Behind the Story, we meet the mystery at the heart of Mateo and the Secrets of the Eternal Word. Who Is Verbum Aeternum? 👉 Read the new post on my blog: https://www.steverhartwigauthor.com/blog #ChristianMiddleGrade #BiblicalFiction #ChristianFiction #KidsAdventureBooks