Ford Street Church | Lapel, IN https://fordstreetchurch.com Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:47:04 +0000 Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:47:04 +0000 hourly 1 3600 SnapPages.com Behold the King (Weekly Devotional) https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/03/22/behold-the-king-weekly-devotional Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:00:00 +0000 https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/03/22/behold-the-king-weekly-devotional
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Monday | March 23, 2026

The Kings We Serve

Read Matthew 6:24-34

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Devotion:

Jesus declares that no one can serve two masters. Yet how often do we find ourselves bowing to the kings of approval, success, or security? Like Pilate, we scan our surroundings, calculating what others expect and morphing ourselves to fit. These earthly kings promise satisfaction but deliver only exhaustion. They demand constant sacrifice of our peace, authenticity, and rest. Today, take inventory of the kings competing for your allegiance. Which voices are loudest in your decision-making? What would it look like to dethrone these demanding rulers? Remember, Jesus doesn't ask you to perform for His love—He's already given everything to secure yours. The kingdom of God operates on entirely different principles than the kingdoms of this world. 
Tuesday | March 24, 2026

The Beauty of the Bleeding King

Read Isaiah 53:1-12 

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Devotion:

"Behold the man!" Pilate's words invite us to look closely at Jesus—beaten, crowned with thorns, yet radiating a beauty the world cannot comprehend. Every earthly king demands we sacrifice ourselves for them; Jesus alone sacrifices Himself for us. Isaiah prophesied this suffering servant centuries before, yet the beauty remains shocking: God's power displayed through weakness, His victory through surrender. In a culture obsessed with image management and self-promotion, Jesus stands silent and steady. His disfigurement reveals our true condition and His relentless love. When you feel pressure to perform today, return to this image. Let the beauty of His sacrifice break the spell of your striving. You are loved by a King who doesn't need your résumé. 
Wednesday | March 25, 2026

Trading Truth for Security

Read John 18:28-40

Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?” “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

Devotion:

The religious leaders made a devastating trade: "We have no king but Caesar." To protect their system, they abandoned their God. How easily we make similar exchanges—trading truth for comfort, conviction for acceptance, faithfulness for security. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent but feared what Caesar might think. The chief priests knew Jesus fulfilled prophecy but feared losing their position. Both chose earthly kingdoms over God's kingdom. Where are you tempted to make this trade? Perhaps it's staying silent when you should speak truth, or compromising values to advance your career. The irony is profound: what we grasp to secure ourselves ultimately crushes us. Only the King who refused to save Himself can truly save us. His kingdom alone offers security that doesn't require us to betray our souls. 
Thursday | March 26, 2026

Freedom in Surrender

Read Philippians 2:5-11 

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Devotion:

Jesus was the only free person in that Roman courtroom. While everyone else frantically maneuvered to protect themselves, He stood steady in surrender. This is the paradox of God's kingdom: freedom comes through submission to the right King. Paul describes Jesus' willing descent—from divine glory to human form, from life to death, from honor to the cross. This wasn't weakness but the ultimate display of strength. When we surrender our need to control outcomes, manage perceptions, and secure our own kingdoms, we discover the freedom Christ offers. Today, identify one area where you're exhausting yourself trying to maintain control. What would surrendering that to Jesus look like? His yoke is easy and His burden is light because He carries the weight, not you. 
Friday | March 27, 2026

An Allegiance Audit

Read  Romans 12:1-2 

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Devotion:

Paul urges us toward transformation through renewed minds—a complete reorientation of our allegiances. This week, practice the "allegiance audit": when anxiety spikes, ask yourself, "Who is the king of this moment?" Are you serving the king of needing to be right? The king of comfort? Or the rightful King with thorns on His head? This isn't about guilt but invitation—catching yourself serving kings that don't love you and turning back to the One who does. Transformation happens gradually as we behold Jesus daily, letting His character reshape ours. His kingdom operates on grace, not performance; on love, not fear; on sacrifice, not self-protection. As you close this devotional journey, commit to five minutes each morning simply beholding the man—reading these passages, observing His steadiness, and letting His image anchor your day. 
]]> https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/03/22/behold-the-king-weekly-devotional#comments 0 Standing in the Light of Truth (Weekly Devotional) https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/03/09/standing-in-the-light-of-truth-weekly-devotional Mon, 09 Mar 2026 09:22:02 +0000 https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/03/09/standing-in-the-light-of-truth-weekly-devotional
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Monday | March 9, 2026

The Wrong Fires

Read John 18:12-18

Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.”

It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

Devotion:

Peter found himself warming his hands at a fire built by those who arrested Jesus. How often do we seek comfort in the wrong places? When the world feels cold and hostile, we're tempted to find warmth in outrage, gossip, or staying silent to fit in. But these fires leave us colder than before. Today, examine where you're seeking warmth. Are you joining in on divisive conversations online? Staying silent when you should speak? The world's fires promise comfort but deliver emptiness. Jesus offers a different warmth—the security of standing in truth, even when it costs us. This week, identify one "worldly fire" you've been warming yourself at, and intentionally step away from it. 
Tuesday | March 10, 2026

Bound Yet Free

Read John 18:19-24

Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”

When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.

“If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Devotion:

Here's the mystery: Jesus stood bound in chains yet was completely free, while Peter stood unbound yet was imprisoned by fear. True freedom isn't about our external circumstances—it's about internal security in God's love. Jesus faced an unjust trial with quiet strength because He knew who He was and whose He was. When we're secure in the Father's love, we can face opposition without losing our dignity or compromising our integrity. We don't need to slap back with harsh words or resort to the world's tactics. Today, reflect on this question: What fear is holding you captive? Remember, the one who was bound for you has set you free from fear's grip. 
Wednesday | March 11, 2026

The Rooster's Announcement

Read Luke 22:54-62

Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”

But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.

A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”

“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.

About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”

Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Devotion:

The rooster's crow is often heard as condemnation—the sound of failure exposed. But a rooster doesn't crow to announce failure; it crows to announce the dawn. Jesus knew the rooster would crow before Peter ever denied Him, yet He stood His ground anyway. Your failures don't surprise God. That moment when you realize you've compromised, stayed silent, or warmed yourself at the wrong fire—God already knew, and He already made provision. The rooster's crow in your life isn't the end of your story; it's the announcement that a new day is coming. Grace is meeting you right where you are, not where you think you should be. What failure are you carrying today? Hear the rooster as dawn, not defeat. 
Thursday | March 12, 2026

Restoration Over Condemnation

Read John 21:15-19

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Devotion:

After Peter's denial, Jesus didn't abandon him—He sought him out. Three times Peter denied Jesus; three times Jesus asked, "Do you love me?" and then gave him work to do. This is the heart of the gospel: restoration, not condemnation. Our culture loves to cancel people, to leave them rotting in their shame. But Jesus offers something radically different. He meets us in our mess and invites us forward. Today, practice restoration. When you see someone fail—a coworker, family member, or even someone online—resist the urge to pile on. Instead, look for an opportunity to offer grace and a second chance. Be the kind of person who announces the dawn, not just the failure. 
Friday | March 13, 2026

Standing Your Ground

Read Galatians 6:1-5; Ephesians 6:10-14 

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. 
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Devotion:

 Jesus stood His ground for us when we couldn't stand ours. He took the slap, carried the cross, and faced the darkness so we could walk in light. Now He calls us to stand—not in our own strength, but in His. Standing your ground doesn't mean being harsh or combative; it means being secure enough in God's love that you don't need the world's approval. It means speaking truth gently, restoring others compassionately, and refusing to warm yourself at fires that weren't meant for you. This week, where is God calling you to stand? Perhaps it's speaking up for someone being mistreated, or stepping away from toxic conversations. Stand with the King who was bound to set you free. The shadows are fading—a new day has dawned. 
]]> https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/03/09/standing-in-the-light-of-truth-weekly-devotional#comments 0 The Journey Into Servant Love (Weekly Devotional) https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/03/02/the-journey-into-servant-love-weekly-devotional Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:13:19 +0000 https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/03/02/the-journey-into-servant-love-weekly-devotional
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Monday | March 2, 2026

The Downward Path to Glory

Read Philippians 2:1-11 

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Devotion:

The world teaches us to climb—to accumulate status, influence, and recognition. Yet Christ shows us a radically different trajectory. Paul writes that Jesus, "being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage." Instead, he descended into humanity, humility, and ultimately death.

This downward path is not weakness; it is the very nature of divine love. Jesus was completely secure in his identity as God's Son, so he had nothing to prove and nothing to protect. His power was demonstrated not in grasping for more, but in giving everything away.

Today, consider where you are climbing when God is calling you to kneel. What status are you protecting that prevents you from serving? True spiritual maturity is found not in elevation, but in the willingness to descend for the sake of others.
Tuesday | March 3, 2026

Letting Jesus Wash You

Read John 13:1-11

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

Devotion:

Peter's resistance to Jesus washing his feet reveals our own struggle with grace. We want to serve Jesus, but we resist being served by him. We want to do things for God, but we struggle to let God do things for us.

Jesus's words to Peter are sobering: "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." Receiving Christ's service is not optional—it is foundational. We cannot give to others what we have not first received from him.

Perhaps you, like Peter, find it easier to be the helper than the helped. You may be comfortable seeing others' needs but uncomfortable exposing your own. Yet intimacy with Christ begins with vulnerability—allowing him to see your dirt, your weakness, your need.
Before you can pick up the towel for others, you must let Jesus wrap the towel around himself for you. Surrender your self-sufficiency today and let him wash you clean.
Wednesday | March 4, 2026

See, Notice, and Do

Read James 2:14-26

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Devotion:

James confronts our tendency toward passive faith with piercing clarity: "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." We live in an age where seeing and noticing problems has never been easier. Social media ensures we are constantly aware of injustice, suffering, and need. Yet awareness without action is not discipleship—it is spectatorship.

The early Christians didn't just see the plague victims or notice the abandoned children. They did something costly about it. They moved from observation to participation, from judgment to mercy, from the safety of distance to the risk of proximity.

Jesus didn't lecture his disciples about their pride—he simply knelt and began washing feet. The most powerful sermon is often the one preached with a towel and basin rather than words.

What have you been seeing and noticing but not yet doing? Ask God today to show you one concrete action you can take—not to earn his love, but as a response to it.
Thursday | March 5, 2026

The Blessing in the Basin

Read Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Devotion:

Jesus concludes his foot-washing demonstration with these words: "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." There is a blessing in the doing—not a blessing of comfort or convenience, but the blessing of participation in God's kingdom work.
In Matthew 25, Jesus identifies himself with "the least of these"—the hungry, the stranger, the sick, the imprisoned. When we serve them, we serve him. The blessing is not found at the top of the mountain but in the basin, not in the spotlight but in the shadows where mercy is quietly practiced.

The early church discovered this blessing as they sang hymns while dying from the plague they caught while caring for others. They found it as they welcomed abandoned children into their homes at great personal cost. The blessing was not safety or success—it was the profound joy of resembling Jesus.

Today, look for the blessing in the basin. Who needs your presence, your service, your sacrifice? The throne may promise power, but the towel promises intimacy with Christ.
Friday | March 6, 2026

Love to the End

Read 1 John 3:11-24

For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Devotion:

John writes with the authority of someone who witnessed Jesus's final night with his disciples: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters."

The phrase "loved them to the end" in John 13:1 means Jesus loved them to the absolute limit of what love could do. There was no depth he would not descend, no cost he would not pay, no humiliation he would not endure. His love was not theoretical or sentimental—it was active, sacrificial, and complete.

John then challenges us: "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" Love is not proven by our feelings but by our willingness to inconvenience ourselves for others.

As you close this five-day journey, ask yourself: Whose feet is Jesus calling me to wash? Where is my basin? The world desperately needs Christians who will stop fighting for the throne and start looking for the towel.
]]> https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/03/02/the-journey-into-servant-love-weekly-devotional#comments 0 Living in the Presence of the Resurrection (Weekly Devotional) https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/02/23/living-in-the-presence-of-the-resurrection-weekly-devotional Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:56:24 +0000 https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/02/23/living-in-the-presence-of-the-resurrection-weekly-devotional
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Monday | February 23, 2026

When Love Delays

Read John 11:1-6

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,

Devotion:

"Jesus loved them, so he stayed." This sentence defies our expectations. We assume love means immediate action, swift rescue, urgent response. Yet Jesus demonstrates a love so profound it can withstand the agony of waiting. His delay wasn't indifference—it was intentional. Sometimes God's love looks like staying when we expect running, like silence when we pray for answers. The two-day delay wasn't a failure of love but a function of it. Jesus was preparing something greater than healing; he was orchestrating resurrection. Today, if you're in a season of delay, consider this: God's timing doesn't measure His affection. His love for you is not diminished by His apparent distance. He is working something eternal in the waiting.

What delay are you currently experiencing? Can you trust that God's love is present even in the silence?
Tuesday | February 24, 2026

The "If Only" Prison

Read John 11:17-27

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Devotion:

"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Martha's words echo through every disappointed heart. We live haunted by "if only" thoughts—if only we'd acted sooner, prayed harder, made different choices. But Jesus doesn't engage Martha's "if only." Instead, He offers her an "I am." He redirects her gaze from the missed opportunity of yesterday to the present reality of His presence today. Jesus isn't asking us to deny our pain or pretend the loss didn't happen. He's inviting us to shift our focus from what might have been to who is standing with us now. The great "I AM" is more powerful than all our "if onlys" combined. Resurrection isn't just a future hope; it's a present person standing in your grief.

What "if only" statement keeps you bound? How might Jesus be inviting you to exchange it for His "I am"?
Wednesday | February 25, 2026

The Four-Day Tomb

Read John 11:38-44

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Devotion:

Four days. In Jewish tradition, this was the point of no return—when hope was officially buried. Yet Jesus specifically waited for this moment. He didn't want to merely heal Lazarus; He wanted to demonstrate that no situation is beyond His power to redeem. We all have "four-day" areas in our lives—the relationships we've given up on, the dreams we've declared dead, the parts of ourselves we've sealed behind stone. "It stinks," Martha protests, and she's right. But Jesus isn't deterred by the smell of death. He calls life from the graveyard. The very place you're most ashamed of, the situation that seems most hopeless, is exactly where He wants to reveal His glory. No tomb is too sealed, no death too final for the One who is resurrection itself.

What "four-day tomb" in your life needs Jesus to speak life into it? Are you willing to roll away the stone?
Thursday | February 26, 2026

Jesus Wept

Read John 11:28-37

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Devotion:

Two words that change everything: "Jesus wept." He knew He was about to raise Lazarus. He understood the ending. Yet He still stopped to weep. This reveals the heart of God—He doesn't bypass our pain to get to the miracle. He enters into it. Jesus doesn't offer us stoic spirituality that demands we suppress our emotions. He models a faith that makes space for tears. When you weep, He weeps. When your heart breaks, His breaks with you. You are never alone in your grief. The God who numbers your tears is the same God who has the power to wipe them away. But first, He sits with you in the sorrow. This is the tender heart of the One who holds all power—He is moved by your pain even when He's about to transform it.

Have you allowed yourself to grieve honestly before God? Can you receive the comfort of knowing He weeps with you? 
Friday | February 27, 2026

Unwrapping the Grave Clothes

Read John 11:43-44; Colossians 3:1-10 

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

Devotion:

Lazarus emerged alive but still bound. Jesus performed the miracle only He could do—calling life from death—then invited the community to participate: "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." Resurrection is personal, but freedom is communal. Many of us are alive in Christ yet still shuffling around in grave clothes—bound by old shame, past failures, familiar fears. We need each other to unwrap what still binds us. God raises us; community helps free us. This is the beautiful design of the body of Christ. We don't just celebrate someone's resurrection; we help them walk in it. And we allow others to help us shed the burial wrappings we've worn too long. Today, you are invited to both receive help and offer it—to be unwrapped and to be an unwrapper.

What "grave clothes" are you still wearing? Who can you invite to help you remove them? Who around you needs help walking in their freedom?
]]> https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/02/23/living-in-the-presence-of-the-resurrection-weekly-devotional#comments 0 From Brokenness to Beauty (Weekly Devotional) https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/02/16/from-brokenness-to-beauty-weekly-devotional Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:47:04 +0000 https://fordstreetchurch.com/blog/2026/02/16/from-brokenness-to-beauty-weekly-devotional
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Monday | February 16, 2026

The Artist Sees Differently

Read John 9:1-7:

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Devotion:

When we encounter brokenness in our lives, our first instinct is to ask "why?" and search for someone to blame. But Jesus shows us a radically different perspective. When the disciples saw a blind man and asked who sinned, Jesus redirected their vision entirely: "This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." The Creator who formed humanity from dust isn't afraid to get His hands dirty in the clay of our lives. He doesn't see our struggles as evidence of failure but as canvases for His glory. Today, instead of asking "why is this happening?" try asking "how might God display His work through this?" The Artist is already kneeling beside you, ready to create something beautiful from your broken pieces.
Tuesday | February 17, 2026

Healed in the Process of Being Sent

Read John 9:8-12; Isaiah 6:8:

His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Devotion:

The pool of Siloam means "sent," and this detail reveals a profound truth: the blind man was healed as he went. Our healing isn't just for our own comfort—it's for our mission. God doesn't restore us so we can sit comfortably with our wholeness; He sends us out to be witnesses of His transforming power. The man couldn't fully explain the theology of his healing, but he had an irrefutable testimony: "I was blind, but now I see." Your story of God's faithfulness, even with its messy and muddy parts, is more powerful than any polished argument. Who needs to hear about the miracle God has worked in your life? Healed people heal people. Where is God sending you today with your testimony?
Wednesday | February 18, 2026

 The Strength of Admitted Weakness

Read John 9:13-25; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Devotion:

The religious experts had all the theological knowledge, yet they remained blind. The formerly blind man had only his experience, yet he could see clearly. The difference? Humility. Charles Spurgeon wrote, "It's not our littleness that hinders Christ, but our bigness." The Pharisees were so convinced of their own sight that there was no room for Jesus to work. When we insist we have everything figured out, when we cling to our own supposed light, we miss the miracle happening right in front of us. True spiritual sight begins with admitting, "Lord, I'm blind here. I need You to help me see." God's power is perfected not in our strength but in our acknowledged weakness. What area of your life needs you to stop playing expert and start being honest?
Thursday | February 19, 2026

The Irritation That Drives Us to Healing

Read John 9:6-7; Romans 5:3-5:

After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Devotion:

Imagine having mud pressed into your eyes when you're already blind. Irritating, right? Yet this very irritation drove the man to the pool where healing awaited. Sometimes God allows situations to become uncomfortable—even unbearable—not to punish us but to move us toward the place of transformation. The restlessness in your soul, the tension in your circumstances, that "muddy situation" you're desperate to resolve—these might be God's way of driving you to the water. We often want instant relief, but God is after lasting transformation. The mud comes before the miracle. The irritation precedes the healing. What if the very thing you're praying God would remove is actually His invitation to the pool of being sent? Trust the process, even when it's uncomfortable.
Friday | February 20, 2026

Living As Light Bearers

Read John 9:35-41; Matthew 5:14-16:

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Devotion:

The story ends with a stunning reversal: the physically blind man sees and worships Jesus, while the religious leaders who claimed perfect vision remain in darkness. Jesus declares He came "so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." We become light-bearers not by avoiding brokenness but by allowing God to fit our broken pieces together in ways that catch His light. Your struggles aren't disqualifications—they're the very places where God's glory shines brightest. A mosaic's beauty isn't that the glass was never broken; the beauty is found in the breaks themselves. As you go forward, remember: you don't need to have it all together to reflect Christ's light. You just need to be honest about your need for Him. Let your mosaic—complete with all its cracks and repairs—show the world how beautiful His grace really is.
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