Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD May 5, 2019 Sunday SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT Poh Fang Chia On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.  2 Corinthians 1:10–11 2 Corinthians 1:8–11 1 Kings 19–20; Luke 23:1–25 The day started out like any other, but it ended as a nightmare. Esther (not her real name) and several hundred women were kidnapped from their boarding school by a religious militant group. A month later all were released—except for Esther who refused to deny Christ. As my friend and I read about her and others who are being persecuted for their faith, our hearts were moved. We wanted to do something. But  what ? When writing to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul shared about the trouble he experienced in the province of Asia. The persecution was so severe that he and his companions “despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). However, Paul was helped by the prayers of believers (v. 11). Though the Corinthian church was ma...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 4, 2019 Saturday MORE THAN JUST WAITING Peter Chin [Jesus] gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.”  Acts 1:4 Acts 1:4–11 1 Kings 16–18; Luke 22:47–71 Police charged a woman with reckless driving after she drove off the street and onto the sidewalk and back because she didn’t want to wait for a school bus dropping off students! While it’s true that waiting can make us impatient, there are also good things to do and learn in the waiting. Jesus knew this when He told His disciples to “not leave Jerusalem” (Acts 1:4). They were waiting to “be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (v. 5). As they gathered in an upper room, likely in a state of excitement and anticipation, the disciples seemed to understand that when Jesus told them to wait, He didn’t say for them to do nothing. They spent time prayin...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 3, 2019 Friday BEYOND THE NEIGHBORHOOD Cindy Hess Kasper Love your neighbor as yourself.  Mark 12:31 Luke 10:25–37 1 Kings 14–15; Luke 22:21–46 In the summer of 2017, Hurricane Harvey brought devastating losses of life and property to the Gulf Coast of the US. Many people provided food, water, clothing, and shelter for those in immediate need. The owner of a piano store in Maryland felt prompted to do something more. He considered how music could bring a special kind of healing and sense of normalcy to people who had lost everything. So he and his staff began to refurbish pre-owned pianos and to make inquiries to see where the need was the greatest. That spring, Dean Kramer and his wife, Lois, began the long trek to Houston, Texas, driving a truck filled with free pianos to give to grateful families, churches, and schools in the ravaged area. We sometimes assume the word  neighbor  means someone who lives nearby or at least is someone we kno...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 2, 2019 Thursday PRAYING THE DISTANCE James Banks Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  Colossians 4:2 Luke 18:1–8 1 Kings 12–13; Luke 22:1–20 Kevin wiped a tear from his eye as he held out a slip of paper for my wife, Cari, to read. He knew Cari and I were praying for our daughter to return to faith in Jesus. “This note was found in my mother’s Bible after her death, and I hope it encourages you,” he said. At the top of the note were the words, “For my son, Kevin.” Below them was a prayer for his salvation. “I carry this with me in my own Bible today,” Kevin explained. “My mother prayed for my salvation for more than thirty-five years. I was far away from God, and I’m a believer now.” He looked intently at us and smiled through his tears: “Never give up praying for your daughter—no matter how long it takes.” His words of encouragement made me think of the introduction to a story Jesus told about prayer in the gospel of Luke. ...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 1, 2019 Wednesday BIBLICAL PRESCRIPTION Lisa M. Samra A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.  Proverbs 17:22 Proverbs 17:19–22 1 Kings 10–11; Luke 21:20–38 Greg and Elizabeth have a regular “Joke Night” with their four school-age children. Each child brings several jokes they’ve read or heard (or made up themselves!) during the week to tell at the dinner table. This tradition has created joyful memories of fun shared around the table. Greg and Elizabeth even noticed the laughter was healthy for their children, lifting their spirits on difficult days. The benefit of joyful conversation around the dinner table was observed by C. S. Lewis, who wrote, “The sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal.” The wisdom of fostering a joyful heart is found in Proverbs 17:22, where we read, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” The proverb offers a ...

OUR DAILY BREAD April 30, Tuesday OF SAINTS AND SINNERS Remi Oyedele The third time [Jesus] said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” . . . [Peter] said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”  John 21:17 Luke 22:54–62 1 Kings 8–9; Luke 21:1–19 Before she followed in the footsteps of John the Baptist by living in the desert, Mary of Egypt (c. ad 344–421) spent her youth pursuing illicit pleasures and seducing men. At the height of her sordid career, she journeyed to Jerusalem in an attempt to corrupt pilgrims. Instead, she experienced deep conviction of her sins and thereafter lived a life of repentance and solitude in the wilderness. Mary’s radical transformation illustrates the magnitude of God’s grace and the restoring power of the cross. The disciple Peter denied Jesus three times. Only hours before the denials, Peter had declared his willingness to die for Jesus (Luke 22:33), so the realization of his failure was a crushing blow...

OUR DAILY BREAD April 2, Monday UNDERSTANDING LIFE’S TRIALS Julie Schwab To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.  Job 12:13 Job 12:13–25 1 Kings 6–7; Luke 20:27–47 My friend’s father received the dreaded diagnosis: cancer. Yet, during the chemo treatment process, he became a believer in Jesus and his disease eventually went into remission. He was cancer free for a wonderful eighteen months, but it returned—worse than before. He and his wife faced the reality of the returned cancer with concern and questions but also with a faithful trust in God because of how He saw them through the first time. We won’t always understand why we’re going through trials. This was certainly the case for Job, who faced horrendous and unexplainable suffering and loss. Yet despite his many questions, in Job 12 he declares that God is mighty: “What he tears down cannot be rebuilt” (v. 14) and “to him belong strength and insight” (v. 16). “He makes nations great, a...