Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD September 16, 2018 Sunday THE RIGHT WAY TO PRAY Xochitl Dixon When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Matthew 6:6 Matthew 6:5–15 Proverbs 25–26; 2 Corinthians 9 I admire people who record prayer requests in journals tattered from daily handling, those who keep track of every prayer and praise and then faithfully update their lists. I’m inspired by those who gather with others to pray and whose kneeling wears out the carpet at their bedsides. For years, I tried to copy their styles, to emulate a perfect prayer life, and to imitate the eloquence of the so-much-more-articulate-than-me folks. I strived to unravel what I thought was a mystery, as I longed to learn the right way to pray. Eventually, I learned that our Lord simply desires prayer that begins and ends with humility (Matthew 6:5). He invites us into an intimate exchange through which He promises to listen (v. 6). He never requires fancy or memori...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 15, 2018 Saturday GOOD FOR YOU? Dave Branon You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.  Psalm 119:68 Psalm 119:65–72 Proverbs 22–24; 2 Corinthians 8 Because I like dark chocolate, I once Googled “Is dark chocolate good for you?” I got a variety of results—some good, some bad. You can do the same for almost any food product. Is milk good for you? Is coffee good for you? Is rice good for you? There is a dizzying array of answers to these questions, so you have to be aware that the search itself may not be good for you. It may give you a headache! But if you’re looking for something that’s one-hundred percent good for you all the time, can I recommend the Word of God? Listen to what it can do for the follower of Jesus who is seeking to build a relationship with God.          It can keep you pure (Psalm 119:9, 11).          It blesses you (Lu...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 14, 2018 Friday THE ULTIMATE SATISFACTION Linda Washington Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Isaiah 55:1 Isaiah 55:1–7 Proverbs 19–21; 2 Corinthians 7 As we distributed snacks for children at a Bible School program, we noticed a little boy who devoured his snack. Then he also ate the leftovers of the children at his table. Even after I gave him a bag of popcorn, he still wasn’t satisfied. As leaders, we were concerned as to why this little boy was so hungry. It occurred to me that we can be like that boy when it comes to our emotions. We look for ways to satisfy our deepest longings, but we never find what fully satisfies us. The prophet Isaiah invites those who are hungry and thirsty to “come, buy and eat” (Isaiah 55:1). But then he asks, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” (v. 2). Isaiah is talking about more than just phy...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 13, 2018 Thursday WHAT’S IN A NAME? Bill Crowder She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  Matthew 1:21 Matthew 1:18–25 Proverbs 16–18; 2 Corinthians 6 “Gip” Hardin, a Methodist preacher, named his son after the famous preacher John Wesley, reflecting Gip’s hopes and aspirations for his baby boy. John Wesley Hardin, however, tragically chose a different path than his ministry-minded namesake. Claiming to have killed forty-two men, Hardin became one of the most notorious gunfighters and outlaws of the American West of the late 1800s. In the Bible, as in many cultures today, names hold special significance. Announcing the birth of God’s Son, an angel instructed Joseph to name Mary’s child “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The meaning of Jesus’s name—“Jehovah saves”—confirmed His mission to save from sin. Unlike Hardin, Jesus completely and thoroughly lived up to His name. Through H...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 12, 2018 Wednesday IS THERE WI-FI? Poh Fang Chia A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.  Proverbs 15:14 nlt Proverbs 15:9–21 Proverbs 13–15; 2 Corinthians 5 As I was preparing to go on a mission trip with some young people, the most frequently asked question was, “Is there Wi-Fi?” And I assured them there would be. So just imagine the wails and groans one night when the Wi-Fi was down! Many of us become anxious when we’re separated from our smartphones. And when we do have our iPhones or Androids in our hands, we can be fixated on our screens. Like many things, the internet and all that it allows us to access can become either a distraction or a blessing. It depends on what we do with it. In Proverbs we read, “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash” (15:14 nlt). Applying the wisdom of God’s Word to life, we can ask ourselves: Do we check our social networks compulsively throu...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 11,2018 Tuesday HE KNOWS OUR NAMES David C. McCasland Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  Isaiah 43:1 Psalm 23:1–6 Proverbs 10–12; 2 Corinthians 4 During a visit to the National September 11 Memorial in New York City, I quickly photographed one of the twin reflecting pools. Around these two pools, the names of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the World Trade Center attacks are etched into bronze panels. Later, while looking more closely at the photo, my eyes were drawn to the hand of a woman resting on a name. Many people come to this place to touch a name and remember someone they loved. The prophet Isaiah reminded God’s people of His unfailing love and concern for them, even though they had often turned away from Him. The Lord said, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). In the 23rd Psalm, David wrote, “Even though I walk through the darke...

OUR  DAILY BREAD September 10, 2018 Monday HOW TO STAND FIRM Arthur Jackson To him who is able to keep you from stumbling.  Jude 1:24 Jude 1:24–25 Proverbs 8–9; 2 Corinthians 3 It was a cold, icy winter’s day, and my mind was focused on getting from my warm vehicle to a warm building. The next thing I knew I was on the ground, my knees turned inward and my lower legs turned outward. Nothing was broken, but I was in pain. The pain would get worse as time went by and it would be weeks before I was whole again. Who among us hasn’t taken a spill of some sort? Wouldn’t it be nice to have something or someone to keep us on our feet all the time? While there are no guarantees of surefootedness in the physical sense, there is One who stands ready to assist us in our quest to honor Christ in this life and prepare us to stand joyfully before Him in the next. Every day we face temptations (and even false teachings) that seek to divert us, confuse us, and entangle us. Yet, it’s ...