Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD DECEMBER 8, SUNDAY ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE Bill Crowder Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Colossians 3:15 Colossians 3:12–25 Daniel 8–10; 3 John In my state in the US, the winters can be brutal, with sub-zero temperatures and never-ending snow. One bitterly cold day, as I shoveled snow for what seemed like the thousandth time, our postman paused in his rounds to ask how I was doing. I told him that I disliked winter and was weary of all the heavy snow. I then commented that his job must be pretty rough during these extreme weather conditions. He responded, “Yeah, but at least I have a job. A lot of people don’t. I’m thankful to be working.” I have to admit that I felt quite convicted by his attitude of gratitude. How easily we can lose sight of everything we have to be thankful for when the circumstances of life become unpleasant. Paul told the followers of Christ at Coloss...

OUR DAILY BREAD DECEMBER 7, SATURDAY DON’T FORGET THE GIVER John Blase Be careful that you do not forget the Lord.  Deuteronomy 6:12 Deuteronomy 6:4–12 Daniel 5–7; 2 John It was just before Christmas, and her kids were having a difficult time with gratitude. She knew how easy it was to slip into that kind of thinking, but she also knew she wanted something better for the hearts of her children. So she went through the house and placed red bows on light switches, the pantry and refrigerator doors, the washing machine and dryer, and the water faucets. With each bow there was a handwritten note: “Some of the gifts God gives us are easy to overlook, so I’ve put a bow on them. He is so good to our family. Let’s not forget where the gifts come from.” In Deuteronomy 6, we see that the future of the nation of Israel involved the conquest of existing places. So they would move into large flourishing cities they did not build (v. ...

OUR DAILY BREAD DECEMBER 6, FRIDAY GIFTS FROM ABOVE Amy Boucher Pye The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.  Matthew 1:23 Matthew 1:18–25 Daniel 3–4; 1 John 5 According to an old story, a man named Nicholas (born in ad 270) heard about a father who was so poor that he couldn’t feed his three daughters, much less provide for their future marriages. Wanting to assist the father, but hoping to keep his help a secret, Nicholas threw a bag of gold through an open window, which landed in a sock or shoe drying on the hearth. That man was known as St. Nicholas, who later became the inspiration for Santa Claus. When I heard that story of a gift coming down from above, I thought of God the Father, who out of love and compassion sent to earth the greatest gift, His Son, through a miraculous birth. According to Matthew’s gospel, Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy that a virgin would conceive and give...

OUR DAILY BREAD December 5, THURSDAY INTENTIONAL KINDNESS Cindy Hess Kasper I want to show God’s kindness to them.  2 Samuel 9:3 nlt 2 Samuel 9:3–11 Daniel 1–2; 1 John 4 Boarding a plane alone with her children, a young mom tried desperately to calm her three-year-old daughter who began kicking and crying. Then her hungry four-month-old son also began to wail. A traveler seated next to her quickly offered to hold the baby while Jessica got her daughter buckled in. Then the traveler—recalling his own days as a young dad—began coloring with the toddler while Jessica fed her infant. And on the next connecting flight, the same man offered to assist again if needed. Jessica recalled, “I [was] blown away by God’s hand in this. [We] could have been placed next to anyone, but we were seated next to one of the nicest men I have ever met.” In 2 Samuel 9, we read of another example of what I call  intentional kindness . After King Saul and his son Jonathan had been...

OUR DAILY BREAD DECEMBER 4, WEDNESDAY FREE FROM CONDEMNATION Winn Collier If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts.  1 John 3:20 1 John 3:19–24 Ezekiel 47–48; 1 John 3 As a couple drove their trailer through dry Northern California, they felt a tire blow and heard the scrape of metal against pavement. The sparks ignited the 2018 Carr Fire—a wildfire that burned nearly 230,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 homes, and resulted in the deaths of several people. When survivors heard how the couple were overcome with grief, they formed a Facebook page to show “grace and extend kindness . . . for the shame and despair” enveloping them. One woman wrote: “As someone that lost their home to this fire—I need you to know my family [doesn’t blame you], nor [do] any of the other families that lost homes. . . . Accidents happen. I really hope these kind messages ease your burden. We will all get through this together.” Condemnation, our fear that we...

OUR DAILY BREAD December 3, Tuesday THE LOST ENVELOPE Dave Branon Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  Matthew 6:20 Matthew 6:19–21 Ezekiel 45–46; 1 John 2 We were on the way home from a visit with family in another state when I found it. I was pumping gas when I noticed a dirty, bulky envelope on the ground. I grabbed it, dirt and all, and looked inside. To my surprise, it contained one hundred dollars. One hundred dollars that someone had lost and who at that very moment was possibly frantically searching to find. I gave our phone number to the attendants at the gas station in case anyone came back looking for it. But no one ever called. Someone had that money and lost it. Earthly treasure is often like that. It can be lost, stolen, or even squandered. It can be lost in bad investments or even in a monetary market over which we have no control. But the heavenly trea...

OUR DAILY BREAD December 2, MONDAY THE FLIP SIDE OF LOVE Tim Gustafson Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.  2 John 1:3 2 John 1:1–11 Ezekiel 42–44; 1 John 1 The Roman inns during the time of Christ had a reputation so bad that rabbis wouldn’t even permit cattle to be left at them. Faced with such bad conditions, traveling Christians usually sought out other believers for hospitality. Among those early travelers were false teachers who denied that Jesus was the Messiah. This is why the letter of 2 John tells its readers there is a time to  refuse  to extend hospitality. John had said in a previous letter that these false teachers were “antichrist—denying the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). In 2 John he elaborated on this, telling his readers that whoever believes Jesus is the Messiah “has both the Father and the Son” (v. 9). Then he warned, “If anyone comes to you and does not ...