Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

Theme of the Year: Covenant of Peace (Isaiah 54:10 ) Theme of the month: The Unchanging Word of God. Isaiah 40:7-8 Topic: Living by the Word of God (Joshua 1:8) Part 2 We extensively talked on Fullness of the Holy Spirit last month. It was made clear that how much we take in to keep our spiritual life nourished should be more important than what we eat physically. Life is more than food. The Apostle Paul had it right when he said, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21). To live a deeper life with our Lord, one must take time to eat the Word. Remember Jeremiah the prophet said, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16). We too are called by His name, but we do not take time to eat the Word. It is vital that we take special time every day to apply the Word of God to our lives that we might be spiritually strong. T...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 17, SUNDAY STANDING WITH COURAGE Winn Collier Be strong and courageous. . . . Do not be afraid or terrified.  Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 Deuteronomy 31:1–8 Deuteronomy 30–31; Mark 15:1–25 While most German church leaders gave in to Hitler, theologian and pastor Martin Niemöller was among the brave souls who resisted Nazi evil. I read a story describing how in the 1970s a group of older Germans stood outside a large hotel while what appeared to be a younger man bustled about with the group’s luggage. Someone asked who the group was. “German pastors,” came the answer. “And the younger man?” “That’s Martin Niemöller—he’s eighty. But he has stayed young because he is  unafraid .” Niemöller wasn’t able to resist fear because he possessed some superhuman antifear gene, but because of God’s grace. In fact, he had once held anti-Semitic views. But he had repented and God restored him and helped him speak and live out the truth. Moses encouraged the Israelite...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 16, Saturday MORE THAN A SYMBOL Tim Gustafson In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.  Philippians 2:3–4 2 Samuel 23:13–17 Deuteronomy 28–29; Mark 14:54–72 On the verge of making team history, University of Iowa basketball star Jordan Bohannon intentionally missed the free throw that would have broken a twenty-five-year-old school record. Why? In 1993, days after Iowa’s Chris Street had made thirty-four free throws in a row, he lost his life in a car crash. Bohannon chose to honor Street’s memory by not breaking his record. Bohannon showed a keen awareness of things more important than his own advancement. We see similar values in the life of the young warrior David. Hiding in a cave with his ragtag army, David longed for a drink from the well in his hometown of Bethlehem, but the dreaded Philistines occupied the area (2 Samuel 23:14–15). In a stunning act of bravery,...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 15, FRI KEEP ON GOING Jennifer Benson Schuldt By faith [Moses] left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger.  Hebrews 11:27 Exodus 10:21–29 Deuteronomy 26–27; Mark 14:27–53 Working in the corporate world allowed me to interact with many talented and levelheaded people. However, one project led by an out-of-town supervisor was an exception. Regardless of our team’s progress, this manager harshly criticized our work and demanded more effort during each weekly status phone call. These run-ins left me discouraged and fearful. At times, I wanted to quit. It’s possible that Moses felt like quitting when he encountered Pharaoh during the plague of darkness. God had hurled eight other epic disasters at Egypt, and Pharaoh finally exploded, “[Moses,] get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die” (Exodus 10:28). Despite this threat, Moses eventually was used by God to free the Israelites from Pharaoh’s contro...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 14, THURSDAY LIFE BEYOND COMPARE Peter Chin She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.”  Genesis 29:35 Genesis 29:31–35 Deuteronomy 23–25; Mark 14:1–26 In a TV program, young adults posed as high school students to better understand the lives of teenagers. They discovered that social media plays a central role in how teens measure their self-worth. One participant observed, “[The students’] self-value is attached to social media—it’s dependent on how many ‘likes’ they get on a photo.” This need for acceptance by others can drive young people to extreme behavior online. The longing for being accepted by others has always been there. In Genesis 29, Leah understandably yearns for the love of her husband Jacob. It’s reflected in the names of her first three sons—all capturing her loneliness (vv. 31–34). But, sadly, there’s no indication that Jacob ever gave her the acceptance she ...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 12, TUESDAY EXPECT DELAYS Adam Holz In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.  Proverbs 16:9 Proverbs 16:1–3, 9 Deuteronomy 17–19; Mark 13:1–20 Are you kidding me?  I was already late. But the road sign ahead instructed me to adjust my expectations: “Expect Delays,” it announced. Traffic was slowing down. I had to laugh: I expect things to work on my ideal timeline; I don’t expect road construction. On a spiritual level, few of us plan for crises that slow us down or reroute our lives. Yet, if I think about it, I can recall many times when circumstances redirected me—in big ways and small. Delays happen. Solomon never saw a sign that said, “Expect Delays.” But in Proverbs 16, he does contrast our plans with God’s providential guidance.  The Message paraphrases verse 1 as follows: “Mortals make elaborate plans, but Godhas the last word.” Solomon restates that idea in verse 9, where...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 11, MONDAY SWEPT AWAY Patricia Raybon I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist.  Isaiah 44:22 Isaiah 43:25; 44:21–23 Deuteronomy 14–16; Mark 12:28–44 When he invented the pencil eraser, British engineer Edward Nairne was reaching instead for a piece of bread. Crusts of bread were used then, in 1770, to erase marks on paper. Picking up a piece of latex rubber by mistake, Nairne found it erased his error, leaving rubberized “crumbs” easily swept away by hand. With us too the worst errors of our lives can be swept away. It’s the Lord—the Bread of Life—who cleans them with His own life, promising never to remember our sins. “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake,” says Isaiah 43:25, “and remembers your sins no more.” This can seem to be a remarkable fix—and not deserved. For many, it’s hard to believe our past sins can be swept away by God “like the morning mist.” Does God, who knows ever...