Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD August 11 “THOUGH” Arthur Jackson Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  Habakkuk 3:18 Habakkuk 3:17–19 Psalms 81–83; Romans 11:19–36 In 2017, the opportunity to help people in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in the US prompted a group of us to travel to Houston. Our goal was to encourage people who’d been impacted by the storm. In the process, our own faith was challenged and strengthened as we stood with them in their damaged church buildings and homes. The radiant faith exhibited by a number of these people in the wake of Harvey is what we see expressed by Habakkuk at the end of his seventh-century bc prophecy. The prophet predicted that tough times were on the way (1:5–2:1); things would get worse before they got better. The end of the prophecy finds him pondering the potential of earthly losses and the word  though  makes a threefold appearance: “Though the fig tree does not bud . ...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 10, Saturday THE POWER OF ENCOURAGEMENT Peter Chin The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done.  Acts 15:12 Acts 15:12–21 Psalms 79–80; Romans 11:1–18 When he was a young boy, Benjamin West attempted to draw a picture of his sister, but he succeeded only in making a mess. His mother saw his creation, kissed him on the head, and remarked, “Why, it’s Sally!” He would later say that it was that kiss that made him an artist—and the great American painter he would become. Encouragement is a powerful thing! Like a child learning to paint, Paul didn’t have much credibility early on in his ministry, but Barnabas affirmed his calling. It was through Barnabas’s encouragement that the church accepted Saul as a fellow believer (Acts 9:27). Barnabas would also encourage the fledgling church of Antioch, helping it to become one of the...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 9, Friday INDESTRUCTIBLE LOVE Jennifer Benson Schuldt Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away.  Song of Songs 8:7 Song of Songs 8:6–7 Psalms 77–78; Romans 10 When we first saw the stream in our backyard, it was just a thin vein of water trickling through a bed of rocks in the heat of the summer. Heavy wooden planks served as a bridge we could easily cross. Months later, torrents of rain pounded our area for several days in a row. Our tame little creek swelled into a quick-moving river four-feet deep and ten-feet wide! The force of this water heaved the bridgeboards up and deposited them several feet away. Rushing water has the potential to overwhelm almost anything that stands in its path. Yet there’s something that’s indestructible in the face of a flood or other forces that might threaten to destroy it— love . “Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away” (Song of Songs 8:7). Love’s persistent strengt...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 8, Thursday A LEGACY OF FAITH Alyson Kieda I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice.  2 Timothy 1:5 2 Timothy 1:5–14 Psalms 74–76; Romans 9:16–33 Long before the decisive moment when Billy Graham came to faith in Christ at age sixteen, his parents’ devotion to Jesus was evident. They’d both come to faith while growing up within a family of believers. After their marriage, Billy’s parents continued that legacy by lovingly nurturing their children, including praying and reading Scripture and attending church faithfully with them. The solid foundation Graham’s parents laid for Billy was part of the soil God used to bring him to faith and, eventually, to his calling as a bold evangelist. The apostle Paul’s young protégé Timothy also benefited from a strong spiritual foundation. Paul wrote, “Your sincere faith . . . first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice” (2 Tim...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 7, Wednesday BACK IN THE BATTLE Tim Gustafson If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  1 John 1:9 2 Samuel 12:26–31 Psalms 72–73; Romans 9:1–15 As a child, she had hurled vicious words at her parents. Little did she know that those words would be her last interaction with them. Now, even after years of counseling, she can’t forgive herself. Guilt and regret paralyze her. We all live with regrets—some of them quite terrible. But the Bible shows us a way through the guilt. Let’s look at one example. There’s no sugarcoating what King David did. It was the time “when kings go off to war,” but “David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1). Away from the battle, he stole another man’s wife and tried to cover it up with murder (vv. 2–5, 14–15). God stopped David’s downward plunge (12:1–13), but the king would live the rest of his life with the knowledge of his sins. W...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 6, Tuesday WILL YOU COME BACK? Estera Pirosca Escobar Love [your wife] as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods.  Hosea 3:1 Hosea 3:1–5 Psalms 70–71; Romans 8:22–39 Ron and Nancy’s marriage was deteriorating rapidly. She had an affair, but after some time she admitted her sin to God. She knew what He wanted her to do, but it was difficult. She shared the truth with Ron. Instead of asking for a divorce, Ron chose to give Nancy a chance to win his trust back by showing that she’d changed. In a miraculous way God restored their marriage. Ron’s actions are a picture of God’s love and forgiveness shown toward sinners like you and me. The prophet Hosea understood this well. He was commanded by God to marry an unfaithful woman as a way to show Israel their status of unfaithfulness before Him (Hosea 1). If that wasn’t heartbreaking enough, when Hosea’s wife left him, God told him to ask her to come back. He said, “Show your...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 5, Monday LOAVES AND FISHES David H. Roper Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”  Matthew 14:16 Matthew 14:13–21 Psalms 68–69; Romans 8:1–21 A young boy came home from church and announced with great excitement that the lesson had been about a boy who “loafed and fished all day.” He, of course, was thinking of the little boy who offered his loaves and fish to Jesus. Jesus had been teaching the crowds all day, and the disciples suggested He send them into the village to buy bread. Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16). The disciples were perplexed for there were more than 5,000 to be fed! You may know the rest of the story: a boy gave his lunch—five small loaves of bread and two fish—and with it Jesus fed the crowd (vv. 13–21). One school of thought contends that the boy’s generosity simply moved others in the crowd to share their lunches, but Matthew clearly intends us to ...