Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD October 7, 2018 Sunday A WARM WELCOME FOR ALL Dave Branon Let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.  Galatians 6:10 Hebrews 13:1–3 Isaiah 28–29; Philippians 3 During a recent vacation, my wife and I visited a famous athletic complex. The gates were wide open, and it appeared that we were welcome to visit. We enjoyed touring the grounds and admiring the well-manicured sports fields. As we were about to leave, someone stopped us and coldly told us we were not supposed to be there. Suddenly, we were reminded that we were outsiders—and it felt uncomfortable. On that vacation we also visited a church. Again, the doors were open, so we walked in. What a difference! Many people greeted us warmly and made us feel right at home. We walked out of that church service knowing we were welcomed and accepted. Sadly, it isn’t uncommon for outsiders to receive the unspoken message “you’re not supposed to be here” when the...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 6, 2018 Saturday TWINKLE Elisa Morgan Shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.  Philippians 2:15–16 Philippians 2:14–16 Isaiah 26–27; Philippians 2 “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is an English lullaby. Its lyrics, originally a poem by Jane Taylor, capture the wonder of God’s universe where stars hang “up above the world so high.” In the rarely published later stanzas, the star acts as a guide: “As your bright and tiny spark lights the traveler in the dark.”   In Philippians, Paul challenges believers in Philippi to be blameless and pure as they “shine . . . like stars in the sky” while offering the good news of the gospel to all around them (2:15–16). We wonder how we can shine like stars. We often feel inadequate and struggle to think our “light” is bright enough to make a difference. But stars don’t  try  to be stars. They just are. Light changes our world. And it changes us. God brought p...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 5 2018 Friday BETTER THAN EVER David H. Roper Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.  Psalm 51:12 Psalm 51:9-13 Isaiah 23–25; Philippians 1 The story is told of a group of salmon fishermen who gathered in a Scottish inn after a long day of fishing. As one was describing a catch to his friends, his arm swept across the table and knocked a glass against the wall, shattering it and leaving a stain on the white plaster surface. The man apologized to the innkeeper and offered to pay for the damage, but there was nothing he could do; the wall was ruined. A man seated nearby said, “Don’t worry.” Rising, he took a painting implement from his pocket and began to sketch around the ugly stain. Slowly there emerged the head of a magnificent stag. The man was Sir E. H. Landseer, Scotland’s foremost animal artist. David, Israel’s illustrious king who penned Psalm 51, brought shame on himself and his nation by his sin...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 4, 2018 Thursday COURAGEOUS STAND Bill Crowder Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world.  Ephesians 6:12 Ephesians 6:10–18 Isaiah 20–22; Ephesians 6 Teresa Prekerowa was just a teenager when the Nazis invaded her native Poland at the dawn of World War II. This was in the beginnings of the Holocaust when her Jewish neighbors began to disappear—arrested by the Nazis. So Teresa and other Polish countrymen risked their lives to rescue those neighbors from the Warsaw ghetto and the Nazi purge. Teresa would become one of the premier historians of the war and the Holocaust, but it was her courage to stand against the tide of evil that would list her with the Righteous Among the Nations at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. Courage is needed to stand against evil. Paul told the church at Ephesus, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but again...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 3, 2018 Wednesday ASKING FOR HELP Patricia Raybon “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.  Mark 10:51 Mark 10:46–52 Isaiah 17–19; Ephesians 5:17–33 Her email arrived late in a long day. In truth, I didn’t open it. I was working overtime to help a family member manage his serious illness. I didn’t have time, therefore, for social distractions. The next morning, however, when I clicked on my friend’s message, I saw this question: “Can I help you in any way?” Feeling embarrassed, I started to answer no. Then I took a deep breath to pause. I noticed then that her question sounded familiar—if not divine. That’s because Jesus asked it. Hearing a blind beggar call out to Him on the Jericho Road, Jesus stopped to ask this man, named Bartimaeus, a similar question.  Can I help?  Or as Jesus said: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51). The question is stunning. It shows the Healer, Jesus, longs to help us. But first, we’r...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 2, 2018 Tuesday GOD’S BRAND Tim Gustafson I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.  Zechariah 3:4 Zechariah 3:1–7 Isaiah 14–16; Ephesians 5:1–16 Scooping up the smallest children, a frantic maid raced out of the flaming house. As she ran, she called loudly to five-year-old Jacky. But Jacky didn’t follow. Outside, a bystander reacted quickly, standing on the shoulders of a friend. Reaching into the upstairs window, he pulled Jacky to safety—just before the roof caved in. Little Jacky, said his mother Susanna, was “a brand [stick] plucked from the burning.” You might know that “brand” as the great traveling minister John Wesley (1703–1791). Susanna Wesley was quoting Zechariah, a prophet who provides valuable insight into God’s character. Relating a vision he had, the prophet takes us into a courtroom scene where Satan is standing next to Joshua the high p...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 1, 2018 Monday FOR OUR FRIENDS Monica Brands My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  John 15:12 John 15:5–17 Isaiah 11–13; Ephesians 4 In Emily Bronte’s novel  Wuthering Heights,  a cantankerous man who often quotes the Bible to criticize others is memorably described as “the wearisomest self-righteous Pharisee that ever ransacked a Bible to rake [apply] the promises to himself and fling the curses to his neighbours.”       It’s a funny line; and it may even bring particular people to mind. But aren’t we  all  a bit like this—prone to condemn others’ failures while excusing our own? In Scripture some people amazingly did the exact opposite; they were willing to give up God’s promises for them and even be cursed if it would save others. Consider Moses, who said he’d rather be blotted out of God’s book than ...