Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD SEPTEMBER 29, SUNDAY WHO AM I? Tim Gustafson “I am who I am.”  Exodus 3:14 Exodus 3:10–17 Isaiah 7–8; Ephesians 2 Dave enjoyed his job, but for a long time he’d sensed a pull toward something else. Now he was about to fulfill his dream and step into mission work. But strangely, he began to have serious doubts. “I don’t deserve this,” he told a friend. “The mission board doesn’t know the real me. I’m not good enough.” Dave has some pretty good company. Mention the name of Moses and we think of leadership, strength, and the Ten Commandments. We tend to forget that Moses fled to the desert after murdering a man. We lose sight of his forty years as a fugitive. We overlook his anger problem and his intense reluctance to say yes to God. When God showed up with marching orders (Exodus 3:1–10), Moses played the I’m-not-good-enough card. He even got into a lengthy argument with God, asking Him: “Who am I?” (v. 11). Then God told Moses who  He  was: “I ...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 28, Saturday “JUST THE OFFICE”? Amy Boucher Pye I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.  Ephesians 1:18 Ephesians 1:15–23 Isaiah 5–6; Ephesians 1 I gazed out at the rolling, green hills in Lancashire in northern England, noticing the stone fences enclosing some sheep dotted around the hills. Puffy clouds moved across the bright sky, and I inhaled deeply, drinking in the sight. When I remarked about the beautiful scene to the woman working at the retreat center I was visiting, she said, “You know, I never used to notice it before our guests would point it out. We’ve lived here for years; and when we were farmers, this was just the office!” We can easily miss the gift of what’s right in front of us, especially beauty that’s part of our everyday lives. We can also easily miss the beautiful ways God works in and around us daily. But believers in Jesus can ask God’s Spi...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 27 LIVE LIKE JESUS IS COMING Mike Wittmer Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.  Matthew 25:13 Matthew 25:1–13 Isaiah 3–4; Galatians 6 I’m inspired by country singer Tim McGraw’s song “Live Like You Were Dying.” In it he describes some of the exciting “bucket list” things a man did after receiving some bad news about his health. He also chose to love and forgive people more freely—speaking to them more tenderly. The song recommends that we live well, as if knowing our lives will end soon. This song reminds us that our time is limited. It’s important for us to not put off for tomorrow what we can do today, because one day we’ll run out of tomorrows. This is particularly urgent for believers in Jesus, who believe that Jesus may return at any moment (perhaps in the very second you’re reading this sentence!). Jesus urges us to be ready, not living like the five “foolish” virgins who were caught unprepared when the bridegroom retur...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 26, Thursday FAITH-STAND Remi Oyedele Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.  John 19:40 John 19:38–42 Isaiah 1–2; Galatians 5 Desmond Doss enlisted to serve in World War II as a non-combatant. Though his religious beliefs prevented him from carrying a gun, Doss ably served as a combat medic. In one battle, he withstood intense and repeated enemy fire to pull seventy-five soldiers in his unit to safety after they had been injured. His story is told in the documentary  The Conscientious Objector  and dramatized in the film  Hacksaw Ridge. A roll call of the heroes of Christian faith includes such courageous characters as Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Peter, and Paul. Yet there are some unsung heroes like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who risked their standing with the Jewish leaders to take Christ’s crucified body and give Him a decent burial ...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 25, Wednesday FALSE PLACES OF SAFETY Sheridan Voysey The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!  Mark 1:15 Mark 1:9–15 Song of Songs 6–8; Galatians 4 When our dog Rupert was a puppy, he was so afraid of going outside I’d have to drag him to the park. After getting him there one day, I foolishly let him off his leash. He  sprinted  home, back to his place of safety. That experience reminded me of a man I met on a plane, who began apologizing to me as we taxied down the runway. “I’m going to get drunk on this flight,” he said. “It sounds like you don’t want to,” I replied. “I don’t,” he said, “but I always run back to the wine.” He got drunk, and the saddest part was watching his wife embrace him when he got off the plane, smell his breath, then push him away. Drink was his place of safety, but it was no safe place at all. Jesus began His mission with the words, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and beli...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 24, Tuesday QUALIFIED IN GOD’S EYES Jennifer Benson Schuldt [Noah] walked faithfully with God.  Genesis 6:9 Genesis 6:9–18 Song of Songs 4–5; Galatians 3 A technology-consulting firm hired me after college although I couldn’t write a line of computer code and had very little business knowledge. During the interview process for my entry-level position, I learned that the company did not place high value on work experience. Instead, personal qualities such as the ability to solve problems creatively, exercise good judgment, and work well with a team were more important. The company assumed new workers could be taught the necessary skills as long as they were the kind of people the company was looking for. Noah didn’t have the right resume for the job of constructing the ark—he wasn’t a boat builder or even a carpenter. Noah was a farmer, a man comfortable with dirt on his shirt and a plow in his hands. Yet as God decided how to deal with the evil i...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 23, Monday A SHIELD AROUND ME Arthur Jackson But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.  Psalm 3:3 Psalm 3 Song of Songs 1–3; Galatians 2 Our church experienced an agonizing loss when Paul, our gifted worship minister, died at the age of thirty-one in a boating accident. Paul and his wife, DuRhonda, were no strangers to pain; they had buried several children who hadn’t made it to term. Now there would be another grave near the small graves of these little ones. The life-crushing crisis this family experienced hit those who loved them like a knockout blow to the head. David was no stranger to personal and family crises. In Psalm 3, he found himself overwhelmed because of the rebellion of his son Absalom. Rather than stay and fight, he chose to flee his home and throne (2 Samuel 15:13–23). Though “many” considered him forsaken by God (Psalm 3:2), David knew better; he saw the Lord as his protector (v. 3), ...