Max Lucado Daily: GOD’S HEART FOR HURTING PARENTS - February 17, 2026
Jairus heard two voices and had to choose which one to heed. The first, from the servants in Luke 8:49, “Your daughter is dead.” The second, from Jesus in verse 50, “Don’t be afraid.”
We need to know what Jesus will do when we entrust our kids to him. In the case of the story of Jairus, Jesus united the household (vs. 51). “…he let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him.” Next, he banished unbelief, the scoffers. “He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, ‘Little girl, arise” (vs. 54 NKJV).
God has a heart for hurting parents. After all, God himself is a father. Keep giving your child to God, and in the right time and the right way, God will give your child back to you.
Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear
Luke 15:1-10
The Story of the Lost Sheep
1–3 15 By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.” Their grumbling triggered this story.
4–7 “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me! I’ve found my lost sheep!’ Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.
The Story of the Lost Coin
8–10 “Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? And when she finds it you can be sure she’ll call her friends and neighbors: ‘Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!’ Count on it—that’s the kind of party God’s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God.”
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
by Dave Branon
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
John 3:1-6, 9, 14-16, 36
Born from Above
1–2 3 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.”
3 Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.”
4 “How can anyone,” said Nicodemus, “be born who has already been born and grown up? You can’t re-enter your mother’s womb and be born again. What are you saying with this ‘born-from-above’ talk?”
5–6 Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.
9 Nicodemus asked, “What do you mean by this? How does this happen?”
In the same way that Moses lifted the serpent in the desert so people could have something to see and then believe, it is necessary for the Son of Man to be lifted up—and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.
16–18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn’t see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that.”
Today's Insights
Nicodemus genuinely didn’t understand Jesus’ challenge that only those who were “born again” could see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). The language of rebirth, though it might be familiar to us today, was strange to the Pharisee, and his follow-up questions highlight his confusion (v. 4). With great patience, Christ unpacks His meaning for Nicodemus, culminating in verse 16, one of the most dearly loved verses in the Bible. The impact on him is inescapable. He advocated for Jesus to receive a fair hearing (7:50-51) and helped prepare Him for burial (19:39-41). Nicodemus’ fledgling faith in Christ prompted his love for the Savior and challenges us to also extend His love to others.
Belle’s Belief
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life. John 3:36
Belle wanted nothing to do with her parents’ faith in Jesus. In college, she proclaimed herself an agnostic and sought to live without God. But a breakup with her boyfriend and growing depression sent her on a downward spiral. She thought of ending her life.
In those depths of despair, she thought of her parents’ joy in Christ and, despite her struggles, eventually trusted Jesus as Savior. Later, she heard a man speak about a people group in China who’d never heard the gospel. She wanted to go there to tell them, but some people discouraged her because of the danger. She went anyway. Together with a young man she met in college and whom she later married, Belle spent the rest of her life taking the gospel to people in China and Thailand. Thousands of people trusted Jesus, and the legacy of this woman, Isobel Kuhn, lives on in those lands.
Who gave a young woman a new life and hope and walked with her as she dealt with difficult life challenges? Jesus.
Are you wondering what life is about? Perhaps questioning your existence? Turn to Christ—“God’s one and only son” (John 3:18) who died for you (Romans 5:8). He loves you enough to provide life that lasts forever (John 3:16). Yes, “whoever believes in [Jesus] the Son has eternal life” (3:36). And when we believe in Him, as Belle did, He will be with us as we face life’s challenges and help us extend His love to others.
Reflect & Pray
How does God provide purpose for your life? What does it mean for you to find hope in Christ?
Dear Jesus, thank You for the purpose and plans You have for me!
Learn more about having a personal relationship with God
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
The Initiative against Discouragement
An angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” — 1 Kings 19:5
When the angel came to Elijah, the prophet was in a terrible state, huddled under a bush in the wilderness, afraid and miserable and wanting to die: “‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life’” (1 Kings 19:4).
How did the angel respond? He didn’t give Elijah a vision or an explanation of Scripture; he told him to get up and eat. When we are feeling discouraged, we often turn away from ordinary activities. But most of the time, when God comes to us, he doesn’t bring visions. He gives us the inspiration to do the simplest, most natural things— things we would never have imagined he was in. As we do them, we discover him there.
Discouragement is an inevitable part of human experience. It’s in the nature of a rock to never be sad, not of a human being. If we were never sorrowful, we would never be overjoyed. We have a capacity for delight and sadness both, and it is only normal that we should be brought low by certain things.
In times of difficulty, our safeguard lies in doing what God asks of us, however small and insignificant his request may seem. If instead we try to block out our sadness, if we ignore it or push it down, we will only succeed in deepening it. But if we sense intuitively that the Spirit wants us to do something and we do it, our sadness begins to lift. Immediately we arise and obey; we enter a higher plane of life.
Leviticus 21-22; Matthew 28
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed.
Our Brilliant Heritage, 946 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
SIN'S DEADLY SECRET - #10202
You may have seen an actor named Iron Eyes Cody in a lot of roles as an Indian. He used to tell an old legend about a young Indian brave, going through the rites of manhood. As he hiked solo into this beautiful valley, he decided to test himself against that rugged, snow-capped mountain that dominated the valley. When he reached the top, he felt like he was standing on the rim of the world. Then he heard this rustle at his feet. It was a snake. Before he could move, the snake spoke. He said, "I am about to die. It's too cold for me up here and there's no food. Would you put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley?" The young brave refused. He said, "I know your kind! You're a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you'll bite me and you'll kill me." But the snake said, "No, I promise to treat you differently. If you do this for me, I will not harm you."
Finally, the young man was persuaded, so he tucked the snake under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. But as soon as he laid it on the ground, the snake suddenly coiled, rattled, leaped and bit him on the leg. The young brave could only cry out, "But you promised!" As the snake slithered away, he hissed back his answer, "You knew what I was when you picked me up."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "Sin's Deadly Secret."
The story is a legend. But the Indian brave's mistake has been repeated in real life over and over again. God wants you to be sure you know exactly what that snake is - and what it will do to you - before you're fatally bitten.
Which takes us to our word for today from the Word of God in James 1:15 - it's an anatomy of how sin gets us to pick it up and what the inevitable outcome will be. "After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin." Looks good...looks harmless - or at least I think it's worth the risk. First, I want it, then I do it, then I pay for it. It goes on to say, "And sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
See, sin always works the same way - first it fascinates, then it assassinates. Always. The killer snake will always be a killer snake, no matter how harmless it appears or how likely it looks that you'll get away with it. Not a chance. Sin always kills. It kills your self-respect, it kills your reputation, your closeness to God. You're not going to get away with it. God says, "Be sure that your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23).
You might be entertaining thoughts right now that you should have never let in, flirting with something you should be fleeing, making compromises that have brought you to the edge of a spiritual disaster, getting close to someone that you should be getting away from, or you could be harboring hard feelings that you really should have let go of by now.
Down in your soul, you know what it is. It's sin that killed your Savior, sin that always bites the one who handles it. And just because you can't see any consequences now, don't be fooled. Satan will be sure you're hooked and in a position where your fall will do the most damage - then you'll feel his fangs. This is God's loving warning, "Drop it now, while you can, before the inevitable deadly consequences come."
My friend, this is why Jesus is called Savior. Because we need to be saved from the killer of Sin. It kills everything, it will take us one day to a Christless eternity. It will take us out of His Heaven to his Hell. We'll never make it to His Heaven. But that's why Christ died, He took the sting of the serpent, He did the dying. And today He offers you eternal life in exchange for your sin and your death penalty. Would you tell Him today, "Jesus, I want to be forgiven, I need to be forgiven." He will come into your life and change what you could never change.
Listen, if you want this relationship with Him, go to our website and we'll help you get started with Him. It's ANewStory.com.
You can't afford to hold the snake of sin close one day longer. You know what it is when you pick it up. And you know what it will do. And Jesus has come to rescue you.
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