Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BTRAD November 25, 2018 Sunday QUIET WITNESS Keila Ochoa Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors.  1 Peter 2:12 nlt 1 Peter 2:11–21 Ezekiel 24–26; 1 Peter 2 Amy lives in a closed country where it’s forbidden to preach the gospel. She’s a trained nurse who works in a big hospital, caring for newborn babies. She’s such a committed professional that her work stands out, and many women are curious about her. They are moved to ask her questions in private. It’s then that Amy shares about her Savior openly. Because of her good work, some co-workers were envious and accused her of stealing some medicine. Her superiors didn’t believe them, and authorities eventually found the culprit. This episode led some of her fellow nurses to ask about her faith. Her example reminds me of what Peter says: “Dear friends . . . . Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honora...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 24, 2018 Saturday A CONSTANT HELPER Jennifer Benson Schuldt [The Holy Spirit] will remind you of everything I have said to you.  John 14:26 John 14:15–26 Ezekiel 22–23; 1 Peter 1 After a spinal injury left Marty paralyzed, he decided to go back to school to earn his MBA. Marty’s mother, Judy, helped make his goal a reality. She sat with him through every lecture and study group, jotting notes and handling technology issues. She even assisted him onto the platform when he received his diploma. What might have been unattainable became possible with the consistent, practical help Marty received. Jesus knew His followers would need a similar kind of support after He left the earth. When He told them about His upcoming absence, He said they would gain a new kind of connection with God through the Holy Spirit. This Spirit would be a moment-by-moment helper—a teacher and guide who would not only live  with  them but also ...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 23, 2018 Friday A MOTHER’S LOVE Leslie Koh He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  Psalm 91:15 Psalm 91:1–6 Ezekiel 20–21; James 5 When Sue’s parents divorced when she was young, the legal tussle over her custody and other matters resulted in her being sent to a children’s home for a while. Bullied by bigger kids, she felt lonely and abandoned. Her mother visited only once a month, and she hardly saw her father. It was only years later, however, that her mother told her that while the home’s rules prevented her from visiting more often, she had stood at the fence every single day, hoping to catch a glimpse of her daughter. “Sometimes,” she said, “I would just watch you playing in the garden, just to check if you were okay.” When Sue shared this story, it gave me a glimpse of God’s love. Sometimes we may feel abandoned and alone in our struggles. How comforting it is to know...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 22, 2018 Thursday WHAT WE HAVE Kirsten Holmberg For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.  2 Corinthians 8:12 2 Corinthians 8:1–12 Ezekiel 18–19; James 4 My friend was eager to gather her family and friends for a festive holiday celebration at her home. Each of the guests looked forward to gathering around the table together and wanted to help defray the expense of feeding so many by contributing to the meal. Some would bring bread, others salad or a side dish. For one guest, however, money was exceptionally tight. Although she looked forward to spending the evening with those whom she loved, she couldn’t afford to purchase any food. So, instead, she offered to clean the host’s home as her gift. She would have been welcome at the table had she come empty-handed. Yet she looked at what she did have to offer—her time and skills—and brought them to the gathering wit...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 21, 2018 Wednesday A HIDDEN MINISTRY Amy Boucher Pye On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.  2 Corinthians 1:10–11 2 Corinthians 1:8–11 Ezekiel 16–17; James 3 A big academic project was weighing on me, and I was fretting over whether I could complete it by the deadline. In the midst of my anxious thoughts, I received three notes of encouragement from friends who were cheering me on. Each one said, “God brought you to mind today when I was praying.” I felt humbled and encouraged that these friends would contact me without knowing what I was going through, and I believed God had used them as His messengers of love. The apostle Paul knew the power of prayer when he wrote to the people in the church of Corinth. He said he trusted that God would continue to deliver them from peril “as you help us by your prayers” (2 Corinthians 1:10–11). And when God answered their prayers, He would be glorifie...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 20, 2018 Tuesday ON THE WRONG SIDE? Tim Gustafson What has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.  Philippians 1:12 Philippians 1:12–18 Ezekiel 14–15; James 2 When the bridge to Techiman, Ghana, washed out, residents of New Krobo on the other side of the Tano River were stranded. Attendance at Pastor Samuel Appiah’s church in Techiman suffered too because many of the members lived in New Krobo—on the “wrong” side of the river. Amid the crisis, Pastor Sam was trying to expand the church’s children’s home to care for more orphans. So he prayed. Then his church sponsored outdoor meetings across the river in New Krobo. Soon they were baptizing new believers in Jesus. A new church took root. Not only that, New Krobo had space to care for the orphans awaiting housing. God was weaving His restorative work into the crisis. When the apostle Paul found himself on the “wrong” side of freedom, he didn’t lament his situation. In a pow...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 19, 2018 Monday  HARD CONVERSATIONS Elisa Morgan If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Romans 12:18 1 Samuel 25:21–35 Ezekiel 11–13; James 1 I once drove fifty miles to have a hard conversation with a remote staff person. I had received a report from another employee that suggested he was misrepresenting our company, and I was concerned for our reputation. I felt nudged to offer an opinion that might change his choices. In 1 Samuel 25, an unlikely person took great personal risk to confront a future king of Israel who was about to make a disastrous choice. Abigail was married to Nabal, whose character matched the meaning of his name (“fool”) (vv. 3, 25). Nabal had refused to pay David and his troops the customary wage for protecting his livestock (vv. 10–11). Hearing that David planned a murderous revenge on her household, and knowing her foolish husband wouldn’t listen to reason, Abigail prepared a peac...