Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD January 27, 2019 Sunday RIGHTEOUS AMONG THE NATION'S Lisa Samra For such a time as this.  Esther 4:14 Esther 4:5–14 Exodus 16–18; Matthew 18:1–20 At Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Israel, my husband and I went to the Righteous Among the Nations garden that honors the men and women who risked their lives to save Jewish people during the Holocaust. While looking at the memorial, we met a group from the Netherlands. One woman was there to see her grandparents’ names listed on the large plaques. Intrigued, we asked about her family’s story. Members of a resistance network, the woman’s grandparents Rev. Pieter and Adriana Müller took in a two-year-old Jewish boy and passed him off as the youngest of their eight children from 1943–1945. Moved by the story, we asked, “Did the little boy survive?” An older gentleman in the group stepped forward and proclaimed, “I am that boy!” The bravery of many to act on behalf of the Jewish people reminds me of Queen Est...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 26, 2019 Saturday FREE FROM FROSTBITE Jennifer Benson Schuldt Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.  Psalm 119:35 Psalm 119:33–48 Exodus 14–15; Matthew 17 On a winter day, my children begged to go sledding. The temperature hovered near zero degrees Fahrenheit. Snowflakes raced by our windows. I thought it over and said yes, but asked them to bundle up, stay together, and come inside after fifteen minutes. Out of love, I created those rules so my children could play freely without suffering frostbite. I think the author of Psalm 119 recognized the same good intent in God as he penned two consecutive verses that might seem contradictory: “I will always obey your law” and “I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts” (vv. 44–45). How is it that the psalmist associated freedom with a spiritually law-abiding life? Following God’s wise instruction allows us to escape the consequences that come from choic...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 25, 2019 Friday THE WIDE SHOT David C. McCasland You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation . . . that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  1 Peter 2:9 1 Peter 2:1–10 Exodus 12–13; Matthew 16 During the television coverage of the inauguration of the first African-American president of the US, the camera showed a panoramic view of the enormous crowd of the nearly two million people who had gathered to witness the historic event. CBS News correspondent Bob Schieffer remarked, “The star of this show is the wide shot.” Nothing else could capture the multitude stretching from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol. Scripture gives us a glimpse of an even larger throng, united by their faith in Jesus Christ: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation . . . that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). Th...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 24, 2019 Thursday A BIG DEAL Patricia Raybon This is the kind of fasting I want: . . . Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.  Isaiah 58:6 nlt Isaiah 58:6–9 Exodus 9–11; Matthew 15:21–39 A family member needed help with his December rent. To his family, the request felt like a burden—especially with their own unexpected expenses at year’s end. But they dug into their savings, grateful for God’s provision—and blessed by their relative’s gratitude. He handed them a thank-you card filled with grateful words. “There you go again . . . doing nice things, probably passing it off as no big deal.” Helping others is a big deal, however, to God. The prophet Isaiah made that point to the nation of Israel. The people were fasting but still quarreling and fighting. Instead, said Isaiah: “Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 23, 2019 Wednesday TRYING TO IMPRESS Tim Gustafson Out of the heart come evil thoughts . . . . These are what defile a person.  Matthew 15:19–20 Matthew 15:1–11, 16–20 Exodus 7–8; Matthew 15:1–20 When a college class went on a cultural field trip, the instructor almost didn’t recognize one of his star pupils. In the classroom she had concealed six-inch heels beneath her pant legs. But in her walking boots she was less than five feet tall. “My heels are how I want to be,” she laughed. “But my boots are how I really am.” Our physical appearance doesn’t define who we are; it’s our heart that matters. Jesus had strong words for those masters of appearances—the super-religious “Pharisees and teachers of the law.” They asked Jesus why His disciples didn’t wash their hands before eating, as their religious traditions dictated (Matthew 15:1–2). Jesus asked, “Why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (v. 3). Then He pointed out ho...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 22, 2019 Tuesday ALWAYS A CHILD OF GOD Amy Boucher Pye For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.  Romans 8:14 Romans 8:9–17 Exodus 4–6; Matthew 14:22–36 During a church service I attended with my parents, according to the usual practice we held hands while saying the Lord’s Prayer together. As I stood with one hand clasped to my mother’s and the other to my father’s, I was struck by the thought that I will always be their daughter. Although I’m firmly in my middle age, I can still be called “the child of Leo and Phyllis.” I reflected that not only am I their daughter, but I will also always be a child of God. The apostle Paul wanted the people in the church at Rome to understand that their identity was based on being adopted members of God’s family (Romans 8:15). Because they had been born of the Spirit (v. 14), no longer did they need to be enslaved to things that didn’t really matter. Rather, through the gift of the Spir...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 21, 2019 Monday CREATION’S SONG Remi Oyedele The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Psalm 19:1 Psalm 19:1–6 Exodus 1–3; Matthew 14:1–21 Using acoustic astronomy, scientists can observe and listen to the sounds and pulses of space. They’ve found that stars don’t orbit in silence in the mysterious night sky, but rather generate music. Like humpback whale sounds, the resonance of stars exists at wavelengths or frequencies that may not be heard by the human ear. Yet, the music of stars and whales and other creatures combine to create a symphony that proclaims the greatness of God.  Psalm 19:1–4 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the worl...