Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD May 20, 2018 Sunday A NEW COMMUNITY Linda Washington All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Acts 2:44 Acts 2:1–12, 42–47 Bible in a year: 1 Chronicles 10–12; John 6:45–71 My friend Carrie’s five-year-old daughter, Maija, has an interesting approach to playtime. She loves mixing together dolls from different playsets to come up with a new community. In the world of her imagination, everything belongs together. These are her people. She believes they are happiest when they’re together, despite being different sizes and shapes. Her creativity reminds me of God’s purpose for the church. On the day of Pentecost, Luke tells us, “Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). Though these people were from different cultures and spoke different languages, the Holy Spirit’s arrival made them a new community: the church. From then on, they would be considered one body, unified by the death...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 19, 2018 Saturday Even If Alyson Kieda The God we serve is able to deliver us from [the fire] . . . . But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods.  Daniel 3:17–18 Daniel 3:8–18 Bible in a year: 1 Chronicles 7–9; John 6:22–44 Sometimes life deals us a tremendous blow. Other times the miraculous happens. Three young men, captives in Babylon, stood in front of the fearsome king of that land and boldly proclaimed that under no circumstances would they worship the giant image of gold towering above them. Together they declared: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know . . . we will not . . . worship the image” (Daniel 3:17–18). These three men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were hurled into the fiery furnace; and God miraculously delivered them so that not...

OUR DAILY BREAD  May 18, 2018 Friday  OVERFLOWING Adam Holz May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.  Romans 15:13 Romans 15:4–13 Bible in a year:  1 Chronicles 4–6; John 6:1–21 “No! No! No! NO!” I screamed. It didn’t help. Not one bit. My brilliant solution for our plugged problem—flushing again—accomplished exactly the opposite of what I’d intended. I knew I had made a mistake the second I pushed the lever down. And I stood helplessly as water overflowed. How many times have our kids tried to pour milk and misjudged the process, with white liquid flowing everywhere. Or maybe we failed to remember that a two-liter bottle of soda just rolled around in the trunk . . . with explosively startling results. No, spills are almost never a good thing. But there might be  one  exception. The apostle Paul uses that image of  overflowing  to describe a people so full of God’s Spirit that what naturally spills out of ...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 17, 2018 Thursday PRAISING GOD’S GOODNESS Lawrence Darmani Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.  His love endures forever.   Psalm 136:1 Psalm 136:1-15 Bible in a year: 1 Chronicles 1–3; John 5:25–47 Someone in our Bible-study group suggested, “Let’s write our own psalms!” Initially, some protested that they didn’t have the flair for writing, but after some encouragement everyone wrote a moving poetic song narrating how God had been working in their lives. Out of trials, protection, provision, and even pain and tears came enduring messages that gave our psalms fascinating themes. Like Psalm 136, each psalm revealed the truth that  God’s love endures forever.  We all have a story to tell about God’s love—whether we write or sing or tell it. For some, our experiences may be dramatic or intense—like the writer of Psalm 136 who recounted how God delivered His people from captivity and conquered His enemies (vv. 10–15). Others may sim...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 16, 2018 Wednesday FREE TO FOLLOW Monica Brands Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  Matthew 11:29 Matthew 11:25–30 Bible in a year: 2 Kings 24–25; John 5:1–24 My high school cross-country coach once advised me before a race, “Don’t try to be in the lead. The leaders almost always burn out too quickly.” Instead, he suggested I stay close behind the fastest runners. By letting them set the pace, I could conserve the mental and physical strength I’d need to finish the race well. Leading can be exhausting; following can be freeing. Knowing this improved my running, but it took me a lot longer to realize how this applies to Christian discipleship. In my own life, I was prone to think being a believer in Jesus meant trying  really hard . By pursuing my own exhausting expectations for what a Christian should be, I was inadvertently missing the joy and freedom found in simply...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 15, 2018 Tuesday GOD AT WORK Amy Boucher Pye May he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 13:21 Hebrews 13:20–21 Bible in a year: 2 Kings 22–23; John 4:31–54 “How have you seen God at work lately?” I asked some friends. One replied, “I see Him at work as I read the Scriptures each morning; I see Him at work as He helps me face each new day; I see Him at work when I know that He has been with me every step of the way—I realize how He has helped me to face challenges while giving me joy.” I love his answer because it reflects how through God’s Word and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, God stays near to, and works in, those who love Him. God working in His followers is a wonderful mystery that the writer to the Hebrews refers to as he draws his letter to a close in what’s known as a benediction: “. . . and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ” (Hebrews 13:21). With this conclusion, the writ...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 14, 2018 Monday NOT WHAT IT SEEMS Tim Gustafson Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.  1 John 4:1 2 Kings 19:29–37 Bible in a year: 2 Kings 19–21; John 4:1–30 “Listen!” my wife said to me over the phone. “There’s a monkey in our yard!” She held up the phone so I could hear. And yes, it sounded just like a monkey. Which is weird, because the nearest wild monkey was 2,000 miles away. Later, my father-in-law burst our bubble. “That’s a barred owl,” he explained. Reality was not what it had seemed. When King Sennacherib’s armies had Judah’s King Hezekiah trapped inside Jerusalem’s walls, the Assyrians thought victory was theirs. Reality proved different. Although the Assyrian field commander used smooth words and pretended to speak for God, the Lord had His hand on His people. “Have I come to attack and destroy this place without word from the Lord?” the commander asked (2 Kings 18:25). As he tried to en...