Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD March 31, Sunday THE GREATEST GIFT Xochitl Dixon We have found . . . Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.  John 1:45 John 1:43–51 Judges 11–12; Luke 6:1–26 Over the years, my friend Barbara has given me countless encouraging cards and thoughtful presents. After I told her I’d received Jesus as my Savior, she handed me the greatest gift she’d ever given me—my first Bible. She said, “You can grow closer to God and mature spiritually by meeting with Him daily, reading Scripture, praying, and trusting and obeying Him.” My life changed when Barbara invited me to get to know God better. Barbara reminds me of the apostle Philip. After Jesus invited Philip to follow Him (John 1:43), the apostle immediately told his friend Nathanael that Jesus was “the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote” (v. 45). When Nathanael doubted, Philip didn’t argue, criticize, ...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 30, SATURDAY CREATOR AND SUSTAINER Lisa Samra The Son is the radiance of God’s glory . . . sustaining all things by his powerful word.  Hebrews 1:3 Hebrews 1:1–4 Judges 9–10; Luke 5:17–39 Working with a magnifying glass and tweezers, Swiss watchmaker Phillipe meticulously explained to me how he takes apart, cleans, and reassembles the tiny parts of specialty mechanical watches. Looking at all the intricate pieces, Phillipe showed me the essential component of the timepiece, the mainspring. The mainspring is the component that moves all the gears to allow the watch to keep time. Without it, even the most expertly designed watch will not function. In a beautiful New Testament passage found in the book of Hebrews, the writer eloquently praises Jesus for being the one through whom God created the heavens and the earth. Like the intricacy of a specialty watch, every detail of our universe was created by Jesus (Hebrews 1:2). From the vastness of the solar ...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 29, FRIDAY BRIGHT LIGHTS Arthur Jackson You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14 Philippians 2:12–18 Judges 7–8; Luke 5:1–16 In the summer of 2015, a group from our church was sobered by what we saw in Mathare, one of the slums in Nairobi, Kenya. We visited a school with dirt floors, rusting metal walls, and wooden benches. But against the backdrop of extremely humble surroundings, one person stood out. Her name was Brilliant, and the name couldn’t have fit her better. She was an elementary school teacher who possessed joy and determination that matched her mission. Colorfully dressed, her appearance and the joy with which she instructed and encouraged the children were stunning. The bright light Brilliant brought to her surroundings resembles the way Christians in Philippi were to be positioned in their world when Paul wrote to them in the first century. Against the background of a spiritually needy world, believers in the Lord...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 29, FRIDAY BRIGHT LIGHTS Arthur Jackson You are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14 Philippians 2:12–18 Judges 7–8; Luke 5:1–16 In the summer of 2015, a group from our church was sobered by what we saw in Mathare, one of the slums in Nairobi, Kenya. We visited a school with dirt floors, rusting metal walls, and wooden benches. But against the backdrop of extremely humble surroundings, one person stood out. Her name was Brilliant, and the name couldn’t have fit her better. She was an elementary school teacher who possessed joy and determination that matched her mission. Colorfully dressed, her appearance and the joy with which she instructed and encouraged the children were stunning. The bright light Brilliant brought to her surroundings resembles the way Christians in Philippi were to be positioned in their world when Paul wrote to them in the first century. Against the background of a spiritually needy world, believers in the Lord...

OUR DAILY BREAD MARCH 28, THURSDAY SURROUNDED BY GOD Patricia Raybon As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and for evermore.  Psalm 125:2 Psalm 125:1–5 Judges 4–6; Luke 4:31–44 In a busy airport, a young mother struggled alone. Her toddler was in full tantrum mode—screaming, kicking, and refusing to board their plane. Overwhelmed and heavily pregnant, the burdened young mother finally gave up, sinking to the floor in frustration, covering her face, and starting to sob. Suddenly six or seven women travelers, all strangers, formed a circle around the young mother and her child—sharing snacks, water, gentle hugs, and even a nursery song. Their loving circle calmed the mother and child, who then boarded their plane. The other women returned to their seats, not needing to discuss what they had done, but knowing their support had strengthened a young mother exactly when she needed it. This illustr...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 27, Wednesday REMEMBERING MY FATHER Alyson Kieda Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.  Colossians 3:23 Job 38:1–11 Judges 1–3; Luke 4:1–30 When I remember my dad, I picture him best outdoors hammering or gardening or downstairs working in his cluttered workroom, stuffed with fascinating tools and gadgets. His hands were always busy at a task or project—sometimes building (a garage or a deck or a birdhouse), sometimes locksmithing, and sometimes designing jewelry and stained-glass art. Remembering my dad prompts me to think of my heavenly Father and Creator, who has always been busy at work. In the beginning, “[God] laid the earth’s foundations . . . [and] marked off its dimensions . . . while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy” (Job 38:4–7). Everything He created was a work of art, a masterpiece. He designed a breathtakingly beautiful world and pronounced it “very good” (Genesis 1:3...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 26, TUESDAY FLUFF AND OTHERS STUFF David H. Roper They did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.  Exodus 6:9 Exodus 6:1–9 Joshua 22–24; Luke 3 Winnie the Pooh famously said, “If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.” I’ve learned over the years that Winnie might be on to something. When someone won’t listen to you even though following your counsel would be to their advantage, it may be that their reticence is nothing more than a small piece of fluff in their ear. Or there may be another hindrance: Some folks find it hard to listen well because they’re broken and discouraged. Moses said he spoke to the people of Israel but they didn’t listen because their spirits were broken and their lives were hard (Exodus 6:9). The word  discouragement  in the Hebrew text is literally “short of breath,” the result of their bitt...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 25, MONDAY THE BLESSING IS COMING Julie Schwab Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9 Galatians 6:7–10 Joshua 19–21; Luke 2:25–52 A friend and I went for a walk with her grandkids. While pushing the stroller, she commented that her steps were being wasted—they weren’t being counted on the activity tracker she wore on her wrist because she wasn’t swinging her arm. I reminded her that those steps were still helping her physical health. “Yeah,” she laughed. “But I really want that electronic gold star!” I understand how she feels! Working toward something without immediate results is disheartening. But rewards aren’t always immediate or immediately visible. When that’s the case, it’s easy to feel that the good things we do are useless, even helping a friend or being kind to a stranger. Paul expl...