Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD January 20, 2019 Sunday WHERE ARE YOU HEADED? Adam Holz Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord.  Psalm 121:1–2 Psalm 121 Genesis 49–50; Matthew 13:31–58 What determines our direction in life? I once heard an answer to that question in a surprising place: a motorcycle training course. Some friends and I wanted to ride, so we took a class to learn how. Part of our training dealt with something called target fixation. “Eventually,” our instructor said, “you’re going to face an unexpected obstacle. If you stare at it—if you target fixate—you’ll steer right into it. But if you look above and past it to where you need to go, you can usually avoid it.” Then he added, “Where you’re looking is the direction you’re going to go.” That simple-but-profound principle applies to our spiritual lives too. When we “target fixate”—focusing on our problems or struggles—we almost automatically orient our lives around them. However, Scripture encoura...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 19, 2019 Saturday THE BEAUTY OF LOVE Keila Ochoa May your fountain be blessed.  Proverbs 5:18 Proverbs 5 Genesis 46–48; Matthew 13:1–30 The “Jarabe Tapatío,” also known as the Mexican hat dance, celebrates romance. During this upbeat dance, the man places his sombrero on the ground. At the very end, the woman grabs the hat and both hide behind it to seal their romance with a kiss. This dance reminds me of the importance of faithfulness in marriage. In Proverbs 5, after talking about the high cost of immorality, we read that marriage is exclusive. “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well” (v. 15). Even with ten couples dancing the Jarabe on stage, each person focuses on his or her partner. We can rejoice in a deep and undivided commitment to our spouse (v. 18). Our romance is also being observed. The dancers, while they are enjoying their partner, know someone is watching. In the same way, we read, “For your ways are in fu...

OIR DAILY BREAD January 19, 2019 Friday THE BEAUTY OF LOVE Keila Ochoa May your fountain be blessed.  Proverbs 5:18 Proverbs 5 Genesis 46–48; Matthew 13:1–30 The “Jarabe Tapatío,” also known as the Mexican hat dance, celebrates romance. During this upbeat dance, the man places his sombrero on the ground. At the very end, the woman grabs the hat and both hide behind it to seal their romance with a kiss. This dance reminds me of the importance of faithfulness in marriage. In Proverbs 5, after talking about the high cost of immorality, we read that marriage is exclusive. “Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well” (v. 15). Even with ten couples dancing the Jarabe on stage, each person focuses on his or her partner. We can rejoice in a deep and undivided commitment to our spouse (v. 18). Our romance is also being observed. The dancers, while they are enjoying their partner, know someone is watching. In the same way, we read, “For your ways are in ...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 17, 2019 Thursday WHAT CAN'T YOU GIVE UP? Poh Fang Chia [Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God.  Romans 8:39 Hosea 11:8–11 Genesis 41–42; Matthew 12:1–23 “What’s one thing you can’t give up?” the radio host asked. Listeners called in with some interesting answers. Some mentioned their families, including a husband who shared memories of a deceased wife. Others shared they can’t give up on their dreams, such as making a living in music or becoming a mother. All of us have something we treasure dearly—a person, a passion, a possession—something we can’t give up. In the book of Hosea, God tells us that He won’t give up on His chosen people Israel, His treasured possession. As Israel’s loving husband, God provided her with everything she needed: land, food, drink, clothing, and security. Yet like an adulterous spouse, Israel rejected God and sought her happiness and security elsewhere. The more God pursued her, the further she drif...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 16, 2019 Wednesday SHARING MORE THAN STUFF Peter Chin Your people will be my people and your God my God.  Ruth 1:16 Ruth 1:11–18 Genesis 39–40; Matthew 11 “But I don’t want to share!” wailed my youngest child, brokenhearted that he would have to part with even one of his many LEGO pieces. I rolled my eyes at his immaturity, but truthfully, this attitude is not limited to children. How much of my own life, and really all of human experience, is marked by a stubborn resistance to freely and generously give to others? As believers in Jesus, we’re called to share our very lives with one another. Ruth did just that with her mother-in-law, Naomi. As a destitute widow, Naomi had little to offer Ruth. And yet Ruth connected her own life to her mother-in-law’s, vowing that they would press on together and that not even death would separate them. She said to Naomi, “Your people will be my people and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16). She freely and generously g...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 15, 19 Tuesday A SONG IN THE NIGHT Monica Brands If we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.  Romans 8:25 Psalm 42:1–11 Genesis 36–38; Matthew 10:21–42 My father’s life was one of longing. He longed for wholeness, even as Parkinson’s disease gradually crippled more and more of his mind and body. He longed for peace, but was tormented by the deep pain of depression. He longed to feel loved and cherished, but often felt utterly alone. He found himself less alone when he read the words of Psalm 42, his favorite psalm. Like him, the psalmist knew a desperate longing, an unquenched thirst for healing (vv. 1–2). Like him, the psalmist knew a sadness that felt like it never went away (v. 3), leaving times of pure joy merely a distant memory (v. 6). Like my dad, as consuming waves of chaos and pain swept over him (v. 7), the psalmist felt abandoned by God and asked, “Why?” (v. 9). And as the words of the psalm washed over him, assur...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 14, 2019 Monday HOPE'S SURE FOUNDATION James Banks My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:19 Hebrews 11:1–6 Genesis 33–35; Matthew 10:1–20 Lessons on faith can come from unexpected places—like the one I learned from my 110-pound, black Labrador retriever, “Bear.” Bear’s large metal water bowl was located in a corner of the kitchen. Whenever it was empty, he wouldn’t bark or paw at it. Instead, he would lie down quietly beside it and wait. Sometimes he would have to wait several minutes, but Bear had learned to trust that I would eventually walk into the room, see him there, and provide what he needed. His simple faith in me reminded me of my need to place more trust in God. The Bible tells us that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). The foundation of this confidence and assurance is God Himself, who “rewards those who earnest...