Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD March 3, SUN A PURPOSE IN PAIN? Leslie Koh [God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.  2 Corinthians 1:4 2 Corinthians 1:3–7 Numbers 28–30; Mark 8:22–38 When Siu Fen discovered she had kidney failure and would need dialysis for the rest of her life, she wanted to give up. Retired and single, the longtime believer in Jesus saw no point in prolonging her life. But friends convinced her to persevere and go for dialysis and trust in God to help her. Two years later, she found her experience coming into play when she visited a friend from church with a debilitating disease. The woman felt alone, as few could truly understand what she was going through. But Siu Fen was able to identify with her physical and emotional pain and could connect with her in a personal way. Her own journey enabled her to walk alongside the woman, giving her a special measure of comfort oth...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 2, SAT SEARCHING FOR TREASURE Amy Peterson [Wisdom] is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.  Proverbs 3:14 Proverbs 4:5–19 Numbers 26–27; Mark 8:1–21 Buried treasure. It sounds like something out of a children’s storybook. But eccentric millionaire Forrest Fenn claims to have left a box of jewels and gold, worth up to $2 million, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. Many people have gone in search of it. In fact, four people have lost their lives trying to find the hidden riches. The author of Proverbs gives us reason to stop and think:  Does any kind of treasure merit such a quest?  In Proverbs 4, a father writing to his sons about how to live well suggests that wisdom is one thing worth seeking at any cost (v. 7). Wisdom, he says, will lead us through life, keep us from stumbling, and crown us with honor (vv. 8–12). Writing hundreds of years later, James, half-brother of Jesus and le...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 1, Friday NO COMPARISON James Banks A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.  Proverbs 14:30 John 21:17–25 Numbers 23–25; Mark 7:14–37 “One of these days I’m going to put it  all  on Facebook— not just the good stuff! ” My friend Sue’s comment—made casually over lunch with her husband—caused me to laugh out loud and also to think. Social media can be a good thing, helping us stay in touch with and pray for friends across the years and miles. But if we’re not careful, it can also create an unrealistic outlook on life. When much of what we see posted is a “highlight reel” of “the good stuff,” we can be misled into thinking others’ lives are without trouble, and wonder where our own went wrong. Comparing ourselves with others is a sure recipe for unhappiness. When the disciples compared themselves to each other (see Luke 9:46; 22:24), Jesus quickly discouraged it. Soon after His resurrection, Jesus told Peter how he ...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 28, THUR GREAT NEWS! Leslie Koh Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love.  Psalm 51:1 Psalm 51:1–7 Numbers 20–22; Mark 7:1–13 The article in the local newspaper was short but heartwarming. After attending a faith-based program on building stronger family ties, a group of prison inmates were given a rare treat of an open visit with their families. Some hadn’t seen their children in years. Instead of talking through a glass panel, they could touch and hold their loved ones. The tears flowed freely as families grew closer and wounds began to heal. For most readers, it was just a story. But for these families, holding one another was a life-changing event—and for some, the process of forgiveness and reconciliation was begun. God’s forgiveness of our sin and offer of reconciliation, made possible through His Son, is more than a mere fact of the Christian faith. The article’s news of reconciliation reminds us that Jesus’s sacrifice is...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 27, WED OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES Linda Washington Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes.  Psalm 8:2 esv Matthew 21:14–16 Numbers 17–19; Mark 6:30–56 After watching ten-year-old Viola using a tree branch as a microphone to mimic a preacher, Michele decided to give Viola the opportunity to “preach” during a village outreach. Viola accepted. Michele, a missionary in South Sudan, wrote, “The crowd was enraptured. . . . A little girl who had been abandoned stood in authority before them as a daughter of the King of kings, powerfully sharing the reality of God’s Kingdom. Half the crowd came forward to receive Jesus” (Michele Perry,  Love Has a Face ). The crowd that day hadn’t expected to hear a child preach. This incident brings to mind the phrase “out of the mouths of babes,” which comes from Psalm 8. David wrote, “Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 26, TUE WORKING OFF BAD INFORMATION Winn Collier Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.  Proverbs 23:12 Proverbs 23:9–12 Numbers 15–16; Mark 6:1–29 On a recent trip to New York City, my wife and I wanted to brave a snowy evening and hire a taxi for a three-mile ride from our hotel to a Cuban restaurant. After entering the details into the taxi service’s app, I gulped hard when the screen revealed the price for our short jaunt: $1,547.26. After recovering from the shock, I realized I had mistakenly requested a ride to our home—several hundred miles away! If you’re working with the wrong information, you’re going to end up with disastrous results.  Always . This is why Proverbs encourages us to “apply [our] heart to instruction and [our] ears to words of knowledge”—God’s wisdom (Proverbs 23:12). If we instead seek advice from those who are foolish, those who pretend to know more than they do and who have turned th...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 25, MON THE SPIRIT OF FIKA Patricia Raybon When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Luke 24:30 Luke 24:28–35 Numbers 12–14; Mark 5:21–43 The coffeehouse in the town near my house is named  Fika . It’s a Swedish word meaning to take a break with coffee and a pastry, always with family, co-workers, or friends. I’m not Swedish, yet the spirit of  fika  describes one thing I love most about Jesus—His practice of taking a break to eat and relax with others. Scholars say Jesus’s meals weren’t random. Theologian Mark Glanville calls them “the delightful ‘second course’” of Israel’s feasts and celebrations in the Old Testament. At the table, Jesus lived what God had intended Israel to be: “a center of joy, celebration and justice for the whole world.”  From the feeding of 5,000, to the Last Supper—even to the meal with two believers after His resurrection (Luke 24:30)—the...