Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD October 6 DO WHAT IT SAYS Arthur Jackson Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.  Luke 11:28 James 1:22–25 Isaiah 26–27; Philippians 2 Brian was scheduled to be an usher at his brother’s wedding, but he was a no-show. Understandably, family members were disappointed, including his sister Jasmine who was the Scripture reader for the occasion. At the ceremony she flawlessly read from the well-known Scripture passage about love in 1 Corinthians 13. But after the wedding when her father asked her to deliver a birthday gift to Brian, she hesitated. She found it harder to live the words about love than to read them. Before the evening was over, however, she had a change of mind and admitted, “I can’t stand and read Scripture about love and not practice it.” Have you ever been convicted by Scripture that you read or heard but found it difficult to carry out? You’re not alone. It’s easier to read and listen to God’s Word than to obey it. Th...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 5, SATURDAY TRUST YOUR ARMOR John Blase Go, and the Lord be with you.  1 Samuel 17:37 1 Samuel 17:34–39 Isaiah 23–25; Philippians 1 As a young writer I was often unsure of myself when I was in writing workshops. I would look around and see rooms filled with giants, if you will—people with formal training or years of experience. I had neither. But what I did have was an ear formed by the language and tone and cadences of the King James Version of the Bible. It was very much my armor, so to speak, what I was used to, and allowing it to inform my writing style and voice has become a joy to me, and I hope to others. We don’t get the impression that David the young shepherd was unsure of himself when it came to wearing Saul’s armor to fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17:38–39). He simply couldn’t move around in it. David realized one man’s armor can be another man’s prison—“I cannot go in these” (v. 39). So he trusted what he knew. God had prepare...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 4, FRIDAY HE CALMS THE STORMS Estera Pirosca Escobar But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  Matthew 14:27 Matthew 14:23–33 Isaiah 20–22; Ephesians 6 Jim was frantically sharing about problems he was encountering with his work team: division, judgmental attitudes, and misunderstandings. After an hour of patiently listening to his concerns, I suggested, “Let’s ask Jesus what He would have us do in this situation.” We sat quietly for five minutes. Then something amazing happened. We both felt God’s peace cover us like a blanket. We were more relaxed as we experienced His presence and guidance, and we felt confident to wade back into the difficulties. Peter, one of Jesus’s disciples, needed God’s comforting presence. One night he and the other disciples were sailing across the Sea of Galilee when a strong storm arose. All of a sudden, Jesus sho...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 2, WEDNESDAY CATCHING FOXES Dave Branon Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards.  Song of Songs 2:15 Ephesians 5:1–13 Isaiah 14–16; Ephesians 5:1–16 The first time a bat invaded our home we dismissed it as a fluke. But after a second nighttime visit, I read up on the little critters and discovered they don’t need much of an opening to pay humans a visit. In fact, if they find a gap as small as the side of a coin they’ll let themselves in. So I loaded up my caulk gun and went on a mission. I went around the house and closed up every tiny opening I could find. In Songs of Songs 2:15, Solomon mentions another troublesome mammal. He writes of the danger of “little foxes,” which can “ruin the vineyards.” Symbolically, he’s speaking of threats that can enter a relationship and ruin it. Now I don’t mean to offend bat-lovers or fox-lovers, but keeping bats out of the house and foxes out of the vineyard is a bit like dealing ...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 3, THURSDAY LOVE’S LONG REACH James Banks Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  Romans 11:33 Psalm 139:1–10 Isaiah 17–19; Ephesians 5:17–33 Mary Lee is a sixteen-foot, 3,500-pound great white shark tagged by oceanographers off the east coast of the US in 2012. The transmitter attached to her dorsal fin would be tracked by satellite when she surfaced. For the next five years Mary Lee’s movements were observed online by everyone from researchers to surfers, up and down the coast. She was tracked for nearly 40,000 miles until one day her signal stopped—probably because the battery on her transmitter expired.            Human knowledge and technology reach only so far. Those “following” Mary Lee lost track of her, but you and I can never evade God’s awareness throughout every moment of our lives. David prayed, ...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 1, Tuesday EAT AND REPEAT Cindy Hess Kasper We have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!  Numbers 11:6 Exodus 16:14–18 Isaiah 11–13; Ephesians 4 When Kerry and Paul got married, neither one knew how to cook. But one night Kerry decided to try her hand at spaghetti—making so much that the couple had it for dinner again the next day. On the third day, Paul volunteered to cook, doubling the amount of pasta and sauce, hoping the huge pot would last through the weekend. As the couple sat down for dinner that night, however, it was Kerry who confessed, “I’m  sick  of spaghetti.” Just imagine eating the same meal as the Israelites did—for forty  years . Each morning they gathered the sweet “super food” God supplied and cooked it (no leftovers unless the next day was the Sabbath, Exodus 16:23–26). Sure, they got creative—baking it, boiling it (v. 23). But, oh, how they missed the good food they had enjoyed in Egypt ...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 30, MONDAY A READY REMEDY Amy Peterson The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.  Isaiah 53:5 Isaiah 53:1–6 Isaiah 9–10; Ephesians 3 Following the park guide, I scribbled notes as he taught about the plants of the Bahamian primeval forest. He told us which trees to avoid. The poisonwood tree, he said, secretes a black sap that causes a painful, itchy rash. But not to worry! The antidote could usually be found growing right next it. “Cut into the red bark of the gum elemi tree,” he said, “and rub the sap on the rash. It will immediately begin to heal.” I nearly dropped my pencil in astonishment. I hadn’t expected to find a picture of salvation in the forest. But in the gum elemi tree, I saw Jesus. He’s the ready remedy wherever the poison of sin is found. Like the red bark of that tree, the blood of Jesus brings healing. The prophet Isaiah understood that huma...