Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD January 14, ,2018 Sunday KNOWING AND LOVING Bill Crowder My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  John 10:27 John 10:7–16 Bible in a year :  Genesis 33–35; Matthew 10:1–20 “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so” is the message of one of Christian music’s most enduring songs, particularly for children. Written by Anna B. Warner in the 1800s, this lyric tenderly affirms our relationship with Him—we are loved. Someone gave my wife a plaque for our home that gives these words a fresh twist by flipping that simple idea. It reads, “Jesus  knows  me, this I  love .” This provides a different perspective on our relationship with Him—we are known. In ancient Israel, loving and knowing the sheep distinguished a true shepherd from a hired hand. The shepherd spent so much time with his sheep that he developed an abiding care for and a deep knowledge o...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 13, 2018 Saturday AN ANGRY GOD? The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.  Exodus 34:6 Exodus 33:18–19; 34:1–7 Bible in a year: Genesis 31–32; Matthew 9:18–38 When I studied Greek and Roman mythology in college, I was struck by how moody and easily angered the mythological gods were in the stories. The people on the receiving end of their anger found their lives destroyed, sometimes on a whim. I was quick to scoff, wondering how anyone could believe in gods like that. But then I asked myself,  Is my view of the God who actually exists much different? Don’t I view Him as easily angered whenever I doubt Him?  Sadly, yes. That’s why I appreciate Moses’s request of God to “show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18). Having been chosen to lead a large group of people who often grumbled against him, Moses wanted to know that G...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 12, 2018 Friday FITTING IN Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.  Malachi 3:16 Malachi 3:13–18 Bible in a year: Genesis 29–30; Matthew 9:1–17 Lee is a diligent and reliable bank employee. Yet he often finds himself sticking out like a sore thumb for living out his faith. This reveals itself in practical ways, such as when he leaves the break room during an inappropriate conversation. At a Bible study, he shared with his friends, “I fear that I’m losing promotion opportunities for not fitting in.” Believers during the prophet Malachi’s time faced a similar challenge. They had returned from exile and the temple had been rebuilt, but there was skepticism about God’s plan for their future. Some of the Israelites were saying, “It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements . . . ? But now we call the arro...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 11, 2018 Thursday WHAT’S INSIDE? But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  2 Corinthians 4:7 2 Corinthians 4:7–18 Bible in a year: Genesis 27–28; Matthew 8:18–34 “Do you want to see what’s inside?” my friend asked. I had just complimented her on the old-fashioned rag doll her daughter held in her small arms. Instantly curious, I replied that yes, I very much wanted to see what was inside. She turned the doll face down and pulled open a discreet zipper sewn into its back. From within the cloth body, Emily gently removed a treasure: the rag doll she’d held and loved throughout the years of her own childhood more than two decades prior. The “outer” doll was merely a shell without this inner core to give it strength and form. Paul describes the truth of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection as a treasure, carried abo...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 7, 2018 Sunday ONE NAME At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.  Philippians 2:10 Philippians 2:5–11 Bible in a year: Genesis 18–19; Matthew 6:1–18 Cleopatra, Galileo, Shakespeare, Elvis, Pelé. They are all so well known that they need only one name to be recognized. They have remained prominent in history because of who they were and what they did. But there is another name that stands far above these or any other name! Before the Son of God was born into this world, the angel told Mary and Joseph to name Him  Jesus  because “he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21), and “he . . . will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). Jesus didn’t come as a celebrity but as a servant who humbled Himself and died on the cross so that anyone who receives Him can be forgiven and freed from the power of sin. The apostle Paul...

OUR DAILY BREAD  January 10, 2018 Wednesday  GROWING A SERVANT’S HEART I am among you as one who serves.  Luke 22:27 Luke 22:24–30 Bible in a year: Genesis 25–26; Matthew 8:1–17 It was a long day at work. But when I got home, it was time to start my “other” job­: being a good dad. Greetings from my wife and kids soon became, “Dad, what’s for dinner?” “Dad, can you get me some water?” “Dad, can we play soccer?” I just wanted to sit down. And even though  part  of me really wanted to be a good dad, I didn’t  feel  like serving my family’s needs. That’s when I saw it: a thank-you card my wife had received from someone at church. It pictured a bowl of water, a towel, and dirty sandals. Across the bottom were these words from Luke 22:27: “I am among you as one who serves.” That statement of Jesus’s mission, to serve those He came t...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 9, 2018 Tuesday STONES OF REMEMBRANCE Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.  Psalm 105:5 Joshua 3:14–4: 7 Bible in a year: Genesis 23–24; Matthew 7 Some mornings when I go online, Facebook shows me “memories”—things I’ve posted on that day in previous years. These memories, such as photos from my brother’s wedding or a video of my daughter playing with my grandmother, usually make me smile. But sometimes they have a more profound emotional effect. When I see a note about a visit to my brother-in-law during his chemotherapy or a picture of the staples across my mother’s scalp after her brain surgery three years ago, I am reminded of God’s faithful presence during difficult circumstances. These Facebook memories nudge me towards prayer and gratitude. All of us are prone to forget the things God has done for us. We need reminders. When Joshua led God’...

Theme of the Year: New Heights (Lev. 26:13; Phil. 3:13,14) Theme of the Month: New Heights (Lev. 26:13; Phil. 3:13,14) Topic: Flourishing Pathway to New Heights (Psalms 92:12-15;93) The theme, New Heights, suggests that there is old height. What is height to one may not be height to another; so this theme is relative. Everyone of us must examine our present level and what the height of the next level(s) will be. What it simply means to do this is that we will need to set responsible goals for this year and many years to come for different aspects of our lives. The text for today's message suggests that to flourish spiritually toward God, one must first of all be planted in His house. We need to be spiritually connected to Him. That means that we must follow the only way that leads to Him, which is through faith in the vicarious death of Jesus Christ. Every soul that will embark on spiritual jouney that leads to heaven must have a knowledge of salvation through Chri...