Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD September 2, 2018 Sunday STRENGTH FOR YOUR JOURNEY Lisa Samra The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.  Habakkuk 3:19 Habakkuk 3:16–19 Psalms 137–139; 1 Corinthians 13 Hinds Feet on High Places,  a classic allegory of the Christian life, is based on Habakkuk 3:19. The story follows the character Much-Afraid as she goes on a journey with the Shepherd. But Much-Afraid is scared so she asks the Shepherd to carry her. The Shepherd kindly replies, “I could carry you all the way up to the High Places myself, instead of leaving you to climb there. But if I did, you would never be able to develop hinds’ feet, and become my companion and go where I go.” Much-Afraid echoes the questions of the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk (and if I’m honest, my questions too): “Why must I experience suffering?” “Why is my journey difficult?” Habakkuk lived in Judah in the late seventh centur...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 1, 2018 Saturday OFFICER Miglio’s HEART Tim Gustafson See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.  Matthew 18:10 Matthew 18:1–10 Psalms 135–136; 1 Corinthians 12 Back at the police station, Officer Miglio slumped wearily against a wall. A domestic violence call had just consumed half his shift. Its aftermath left a boyfriend in custody, a young daughter in the emergency room, and a shaken mother wondering how it had come to this. This call would wear on the young officer for a long time. “Nothing you could do, Vic,” said his sergeant sympathetically. But the words rang hollow. Some police officers seem able to leave their work at work. Not Vic Miglio. Not the tough cases like this one. Officer Miglio’s heart reflects the compassion of Jesus. Christ’s disciples had just come to Him with a question: “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 31, 2018 Friday CALL FOR HELP Marvin Williams Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  Acts 2:21 Acts 2:14–21 Psalms 132–134; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 After five deaths and fifty-one injuries in elevator accidents in 2016, New York City launched an ad campaign to educate people on how to stay calm and be safe. The worst cases were people who tried to save themselves when something went wrong. The best plan of action, authorities say, is simply, “Ring, relax, and wait.” New York building authorities made a commitment to respond promptly to protect people from injury and extract them from their predicament. In the book of Acts, Peter preached a sermon that addressed the error of trying to save ourselves. Luke, who wrote the book, records some remarkable events in which believers in Christ were speaking in languages they did not know (Acts 2:1–12). Peter got up to explain to his Jewish brothers and sisters that what they were w...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 30, 2018 Thursday THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK Amy Boucher Pye When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.  Luke 6:48 Luke 6:46–49 Psalms 129–131; 1 Corinthians 11:1–16 After living in their house for several years, my friends realized that their living room was sinking—cracks appeared on the walls and a window would no longer open. They learned that this room had been added without a foundation. Rectifying the shoddy workmanship would mean months of work as builders laid a new foundation. They had the work done, and when I visited them afterwards, I couldn’t see much difference (although the cracks were gone and now the window opened). But I understood that a solid foundation matters. This is true in our lives as well. Jesus shared a parable about wise and foolish builders to illustrate the folly of not listening to Him (Luke 6:46–49). Those who hear and obey His words are like the person who builds...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 29, 2018 Wednesday YOU LOVE ME? Kirsten Holmberg How have you loved us?  Malachi 1:2 Malachi 1:1–5 Psalms 126–128; 1 Corinthians 10:19–33 As a teenager, I went through the typical season of rebellion against my mother’s authority. My father died before I entered adolescence, so my mom had to navigate these turbulent parenting waters without his help. I recall thinking that Mom didn’t want me to ever have any fun—and maybe didn’t even love me—because she frequently said no. I see now that she said no to activities that weren’t good for me precisely  because  she loves me. The Israelites questioned how much God loved them because of their time in captivity in Babylon. But that captivity was God’s correction for their continued rebellion against Him. So now, God sent the prophet Malachi to them. His opening words from the Lord were, “I have loved you” (Malachi 1:2). Israel replied skeptically, inquiring as to how God has loved them, as i...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 28, 2018 Tuesday LEARNING TO TRUST James Banks Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17 Matthew 6:25–34 Psalms 123–125; 1 Corinthians 10:1–18 When I was a teenager I sometimes challenged my mother when she tried to encourage me to have faith. “Trust God. He will take care of you,” she would tell me. “It’s not that simple, Mom!” I would bark back. “God helps those who help themselves!” But those words, “God helps those who help themselves” are nowhere to be found in Scripture. Instead, God’s Word teaches us to depend on Him for our daily needs. Jesus tells us, “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?” (Matthew 6:26–27). Everything we enjoy—even the strength to ea...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 27, 2017 Monday SERVE CONTINUALLY Keila Ochoa Has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you?  Daniel 6:20 Daniel 6:10–22 Psalms 120–122; 1 Corinthians 9 When educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom, researching how to develop talent in young people, examined the childhoods of 120 elite performers—athletes, artists, scholars—he found that all of them had one thing in common: they had practiced intensively for long periods of time. Bloom’s research suggests that growing in any area of our lives requires discipline. In our walk with God, too, cultivating the spiritual discipline of regularly spending time with Him is one way we can grow in our trust in Him. Daniel is a good example of someone who prioritized a disciplined walk with God. As a young person, Daniel started making careful and wise decisions (1:8). He also was committed to praying regularly, “giving thanks to God” (6:10). His frequent seeking of God resulted in a li...