Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD June 3, 2018 Sunday CLOCKS AND CALENDARS Bill Crowder Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.  Psalm 62:8 Psalm 62 Bible in a year : 2 Chronicles 19–20; John 13:21–38 My father died at 58 years of age. Ever since then, I pause on the date he died to remember Dad and reflect on his influence in my life. When I realized I had lived more of life  without my dad than  with  him, I began pondering the brevity of my own life. On reflection, we may wrestle with both an event in time and the feelings it stirs within us. Though we  measure  time with clocks and calendars, we  remember  times because of events. In the moments of life that trigger our deepest emotions, we can experience joy, loss, blessing, pain, success, failure. The Scriptures encourage us: “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8). This confident stat...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 2, 2018 Saturday THE “CHEWING” YEARS James Banks Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Matthew 5:6 1 Peter 2:1–11 Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 17–18; John 13:1–20 My wife recently gave me a Labrador retriever puppy we named Max. One day when Max was spending time with me in my study, I was concentrating at my desk and heard the sound of paper ripping behind me. I turned to find a guilty-looking puppy with a book wide open and a page dangling from his mouth. Our veterinarian tells us that Max is going through his “chewing years.” As puppies lose their milk teeth and permanent ones grow, they soothe their gums by chewing almost anything. We have to watch Max carefully to ensure he isn’t gnawing on something that could harm him, and we point him to healthy alternatives. Max’s urge to chew—and my responsibility to watch him—cause me to think a...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 1, 2018 Friday STOP Elisa Morgan Be still, and know that I am God.  Psalm 46:10 Psalm 46 Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 15–16; John 12:27–50 My friend and I sat in the sand, near the ever-rhythmic ocean. As the sun sank in the distance, wave after wave curled, paused and then rippled toward our extended toes, stopping just short each time. “I love the ocean,” she smiled. “It moves so I don’t have to.” What a thought! So many of us struggle to  stop . We do, do, do and go, go, go, somehow afraid that if we cease our efforts we will cease to be. Or that by stopping we will expose ourselves to the ever-present realities we work to keep at bay. In Psalm 46:8–9, God flexes His omnipotent muscles, putting His power on display. “Come and see what the Lord has done . . . . He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.” God is a busy God, who works to create calm within the...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 31, 2018 Thursday INTERRUPTED FELLOWSHIP Dave Branon My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  Matthew 27:46 Matthew 27:32–50 Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 13–14; John 12:1–26 The loud, sorrowful cry pierced the dark afternoon air. I imagine it drowning out the sound of mourning from friends and loved ones gathered at Jesus’s feet. It must have overwhelmed the moans of the dying criminals who flanked Jesus on both sides. And surely startled all who heard it. “ Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? ” Jesus cried out in agony and in utter despondency as He hung on that cross of shame on Golgotha (Matthew 27:45–46). “My God,” He said, “my God, why have you forsaken me?” I cannot think of more heart-wrenching words. Since eternity, Jesus had been in perfect fellowship with God the Father. Together they had created the universe, had fashioned mankind in their image, and planned salvation. Never in the eons past had they not been in total fellowship with each other....

OUR DAILY BREAD May 30, 2018 Wednesday WHEN WORDS FAIL James Banks May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.  Psalm 33:22 Romans 8:22–27 Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 10–12; John 11:30–57 Not long ago I sent my wife, Cari, a text message using only voice prompts. I was on my way out the door to give her a ride home from work and intended to send the words, “Where would you like me to pick you up, old gal?” Cari doesn’t mind my calling her “old gal”—it’s one of the affectionate nicknames we use around the house. But my cell phone didn’t “understand” the phrase, and sent the words “old cow” instead. Fortunately for me, Cari immediately understood what had happened and found it funny. She later posted my text message on social media and asked, “Should I be offended?” We were both able to laugh about it. My wife’s loving response to my awkward words that day makes me think about God’s loving understanding of our prayers. We may not know w...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 29, 2018 Tuesday GAZING AT THE HORIZON Keila Ochoa We are looking for the city that is to come.  Hebrews 13:14 Hebrews 11:8–16 Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 7–9; John 11:1–29 Almost as soon as the ferryboat started to move, my little daughter said she felt ill. Seasickness had already begun to affect her. Soon I was feeling queasy myself. “Just stare at the horizon,” I reminded myself. Sailors say this helps to regain a sense of perspective. The Maker of the horizon (Job 26:10) knows that sometimes in life we may become fearful and restless. We can regain perspective by focusing on the distant but steady point of our destiny. The writer of Hebrews understood this. He sensed discouragement in his readers. Persecution had driven many of them from their homes. So he reminded them that other people of faith had endured extreme trials and had been left homeless. They endured it all because they anticipated something better. As exiles, these readers could l...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 28, 2018 Monday THE LAST CALL Tim Gustafson How the mighty have fallen!  2 Samuel 1:27 2 Samuel 1:17–27 Bible in a year: 2 Chronicles 4–6; John 10:24–42 After serving his country for two decades as a helicopter pilot, James returned home to serve his community as a teacher. But he missed helicopters, so he took a job flying medical evacuations for a local hospital. He flew until late in his life. Now it was time to say goodbye to him. As friends, family, and uniformed co-workers stood vigil at the cemetery, a colleague called in one last mission over the radio. Soon the distinctive sound of rotors beating the air could be heard. A helicopter circled over the memorial garden, hovered briefly to pay its respects, then headed back to the hospital. Not even the military personnel who were present could hold back the tears. When King Saul and his son Jonathan were killed in battle, David wrote an elegy for the ages called “the lament of the bow” (2 Samuel 1:...