Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD October 26, Saturday SEEDS OF GRACE Winn Collier The seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.  Mark 4:27 Mark 4:26–29 Jeremiah 9–11; 1 Timothy 6 For nearly four decades, a man in India has worked to bring a scorched, sandy wasteland back to life. Seeing how erosion and changing ecosystems had destroyed the river island he loved, he began to plant one tree at a time, bamboo then cotton. Now, lush forests and abundant wildlife fill more than 1,300 acres. However, the man insists the rebirth was not something he made happen. Acknowledging the amazing way the natural world is designed, he marvels at how seeds are carried to fertile ground by the wind. Birds and animals participate in sowing them as well, and rivers also contribute in helping plants and trees flourish. Creation works in ways we can’t comprehend or control. According to Jesus, this same principle applies to the kingdom of God. “This is what the kingdom of God...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 25, Friday BRAIDED TOGETHER Jennifer Benson Schuldt A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 Jeremiah 6–8; 1 Timothy 5 A friend gave me a houseplant she’d owned for more than forty years. The plant was equal to my height, and it produced large leaves from three separate spindly trunks. Over time, the weight of the leaves had caused all three of the stalks to curve down toward the floor. To straighten them, I put a wedge under the plant’s pot and placed it near a window so the sunlight could draw the leaves upward and help cure its bad posture. Shortly after receiving the plant, I saw one just like it in a waiting room at a local business. It also grew from three long skinny stalks, but they’d been braided together to form a larger, more solid core. This plant stood upright without any help. Any two people may stay in the same “pot” for years, yet grow apart and experience fewer of the benefits God want...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 24, Thursday JUST A TOUCH Tim Gustafson Then he placed his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.”  Revelation 1:17 Revelation 1:9–18 Jeremiah 3–5; 1 Timothy 4 It was just a touch, but it made all the difference to Colin. As his small team was preparing to do charitable work in a region known for hostility to believers in Jesus, his stress level began to rise. When he shared his worries with a teammate, his friend stopped, placed his hand on his shoulder, and shared a few encouraging words with him. Colin now looks back on that brief touch as a turning point, a powerful reminder of the simple truth that God was with him. John, the close friend and disciple of Jesus, had been banished to the desolate island of Patmos for preaching the gospel, when he heard “a loud voice like a trumpet” (Revelation 1:10). That startling event was followed by a vision of the Lord Himself, and Joh...

OUR DAILY BREAD. October 23, WEDNESDAY THIS IS ME Lisa M. Samra Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.  James 3:10 James 3:7–12 Jeremiah 1–2; 1 Timothy 3 The powerful song “This Is Me” is an unforgettable show tune featured in  The Greatest Showman , the smash movie musical loosely based on the life of P. T. Barnum and his traveling circus. The lyrics, sung by characters in the film who’d suffered verbal taunts and abuse for failing to conform to societal norms, describe words as destructive bullets and knives that leave scars. The song’s popularity points to how many people bear the invisible, but real, wounds caused by weaponized words. James understood the potential danger of our words to cause destructive and long-lasting harm, calling the tongue “a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). By using this surprisingly strong comparison, James emphasized the urgent need for believers to recognize the i...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 22, Tuesday Good NEWS FOR FEET Mart DeHaan For you, Lord, have delivered me from death . . . that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.  Psalm 116:8–9 John 5:1–9 Isaiah 65–66; 1 Timothy 2 The ad brought a smile to my face: “The most comfortable socks in the history of feet.” Then, extending its claim of good news for feet even further, the advertiser said that because socks remain the most requested clothing item at homeless shelters, for every pair of socks purchased the company would donate a pair to someone in need. Imagine the smile when Jesus healed the feet of a man who hadn’t been able to walk for thirty-eight years (John 5:2–8). Now imagine the opposite look on the faces of the temple officials who weren’t impressed by Jesus’s care for the feet or heart of someone who had gone without help for so long. They accused the man and Jesus of breaking a relig...

OUR DAILY BREAD October 21, Monday A FEAST OF LOVE Amy Peterson I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  John 6:51 John 6:47–59 Isaiah 62–64; 1 Timothy 1 In the Danish film  Babette’s Feast,  a French refugee appears in a coastal village. Two elderly sisters, leaders of the community’s religious life, take her in, and for fourteen years Babette works as their housekeeper. When Babette comes into a large sum of money, she invites the congregation of twelve to join her for an extravagant French meal of caviar, quail in puff pastry, and more. As they move from one course to the next, the guests relax; some find forgiveness, some find love rekindled, and some begin recalling miracles they’d witnessed and truths they’d learned in childhood. “Remember what we were taught?” they say. “Little children, love one another.” When the meal ends, Babette reveals to the sisters that she spent all she had on ...

Theme of the Year: Covenant of Peace (Isaiah 54:10) Theme of the Month: Love One Another (John 13:34) Topic: Love as Practiced in The New Testament Church (Part 2) Have you ever wondered what kept the early church after the death and ascension of Jesus Christ? I know you will be quick to say that the Holy Spirit was responsible, and this is very correct. The early church was birthed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit plays important roles in lives of believers and one of His roles is giving power to love. Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. In other words, love is one of the packages you receive at salvation.  You are empowered to love God which make s it easy to obey God and you are equally empowered to love people. This love propels us to live in peace with one another, go after the unsaved to share the gospel of salvation with them and to live an examp lary life. The new Testament Church was able to turn the world upside down with weapon of love. Love is the...