Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD  August 19, 2018 Sunday MARVELOUS MAKER Xochitl Dixon How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  Psalm 104:24 Psalm 104:24–34 Psalms 103–104; 1 Corinthians 2 As an amateur photographer, I enjoy capturing glimpses of God’s creativity with my camera. I see His fingerprints on each delicate flower petal, each vibrant sunrise and sunset, and each cloud-painted and star-speckled sky canvas. My camera’s powerful zoom option allows me to take photos of the Lord’s creatures too. I’ve snapped shots of a chattering squirrel in a cherry blossom tree, a colorful butterfly flitting from bloom to bloom, and sea turtles sunning on a rocky, black beach. Each one-of-a-kind image prompted me to worship my marvelous Maker. I’m not the first of God’s people to praise Him while admiring His unique creations. The writer of Psalm 104 sings of the Lord’s many works of art in nature (v. 24). He regards “the sea, vast...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 18, 2018 Saturday SKY GARDEN Bill Crowder He looked down from His holy height.  Psalm 102:19 nasb Psalm 102:1–2, 18–28 Psalms 100–102; 1 Corinthians 1 While in London, a friend arranged for my wife Marlene and me to visit the Sky Garden. On the top floor of a thirty-five-story building in London’s business district, the Sky Garden is a glass-encased platform filled with plants, trees, and flowers. But the sky part captured our attention. We gazed down from a height of over 500 feet, admiring St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, and more. Our views of the capital city were breathtaking—providing a helpful lesson on perspective. Our God has a perfect perspective of everything we experience. The psalmist wrote, “For He looked down from His holy height; from heaven the Lord gazed upon the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to set free those who were doomed to death” (Psalm 102:19–20 nasb). Like the hurting people pict...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 17, 2018 Friday JESUS REACHED OUT Julie Schwab Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.  Matthew 14:31 Matthew 14:22–33 Psalms 97–99; Romans 16 Sometimes life gets busy—classes are hard, work is exhausting, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, and a coffee date is on the day’s schedule. It gets to the point where I force myself to read the Bible for a few minutes a day and tell myself I’ll spend more time with God next week. But it doesn’t take long before I’m distracted, drowning in the day’s tasks, and forget to ask God for help of any kind. When Peter was walking on water toward Jesus, he quickly became distracted by the wind and waves. Like me, he began to sink (Matthew 14:29–30). But as soon as Peter cried out, “immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him” (vv. 30–31). I often feel as if I have to make it up to God after being so busy and distracte...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 16, 2018 Thursday HEART HUNGER Elisa Morgan I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  John 6:35 John 6:32–40 Psalms 94–96; Romans 15:14–33 Riding along with my husband on some errands, I scrolled through emails on my phone and was surprised at an incoming advertisement for a local donut shop, a shop we had just passed on the right side of the street. Suddenly my stomach growled with hunger. I marveled at how technology allows vendors to woo us into their establishments. As I clicked off my email, I mused over God’s constant yearning to draw me closer. He always knows where I am and longs to influence my choices. I wondered,  Does my heart growl in desire for Him the way my stomach did over the idea of a donut? In John 6, following the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, the disciples eagerly ask Jesus to  always  give them “the bread that . . . gives life ...

OUR DAILY BREAD  August 15, 2018 Wednesday  THE LORD SPEAKS Philip Yancey Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?  Job 40:2 Job 38:1–11 Psalms 91–93; Romans 15:1–13 We can find nearly every argument in the book of Job about why there is pain in the world, but the arguing never seems to help Job much. His is a crisis of relationship more than a crisis of doubt.  Can he trust God?  Job wants one thing above all else: an appearance by the one Person who can explain his miserable fate. He wants to meet God Himself, face to face. Eventually Job gets his wish. God shows up in person (see Job 38:1). He times His entrance with perfect irony, just as Job’s friend Elihu is expounding on why Job has no right to expect a visit from God. No one—not Job, nor any of his friends—is prepared for what God has to say. Job has saved up a long list of questions, but it is God, not Job, who asks the questions. “Brace yourself like a man,” He begins; “I will ...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 14, 2018 Tuesday Riding the Rapids Kirsten Holmberg When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  Isaiah 43:2 Isaiah 43:1–7 Psalms 89–90; Romans 14 The rafting guide escorted our group to the river’s edge and directed us all to put on life jackets and grab paddles. As we climbed into the boat, he assigned us seats to balance the boat’s weight, providing stability when we encountered rapids. After highlighting the thrills the watery voyage ahead would hold for us, he detailed a series of directions we could expect to hear—and would need to follow—to effectively steer the boat through the white water. He assured us that even though there might be tense moments on the way, our journey would be both exciting and safe. Sometimes life feels like a white-water rafting trip, one that contains more rapids than we might like. God’s promise to Israel, through the prophet Isaiah, can guide our feelings when we fear the worst is happening: “Whe...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 13, 2018 Monday THE GIFT OF TIME James Banks A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.  Proverbs 11:25 Luke 6:37–38 Psalms 87–88; Romans 13 I headed into the post office in a big hurry. I had a number of things on my to-do list, but as I entered I was frustrated to find a long line backing up all the way to the door. “Hurry up and wait,” I muttered, glancing at my watch. My hand was still on the door when an elderly stranger approached me. “I can’t get this copier to work,” he said, pointing to the machine behind us. “It took my money and I don’t know what to do.” Immediately I knew what God wanted  me  to do. I stepped out of line and was able to fix the problem in ten minutes. The man thanked me and then left. As I turned to get back in line, it was  gone . I walked straight to the service counter. My experience that day reminds me of Jesus’s words: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measur...