Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD January 26, Sunday GUIDING CHILDREN TO GOD Winn Collier Continue in what you have learned . . . how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures.  2 Timothy 3:14–15 2 Timothy 3:10–15 Exodus 14–15; Matthew 17 An outspoken atheist believes it’s immoral for parents to teach their children religion as though it were actually true. He even claims that parents who pass along their faith to their children are committing child abuse. Though these views are extreme, I do hear from parents who are hesitant to boldly encourage their children toward faith. While most of us readily hope to influence our children with our view of politics or nutrition or sports, for some reason some of us treat our convictions about God differently. In contrast, Paul wrote of how Timothy had been taught “from infancy . . . the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Timothy did...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 25, Saturday THE GREATEST MYSTERY Xochitl Dixon The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  Colossians 1:15 Colossians 1:15–22 Exodus 12–13; Matthew 16 Before I came to faith in Jesus, I’d heard the gospel preached but wrestled with His identity. How could He offer forgiveness for my sins when the Bible says only God can forgive sins? I discovered I wasn’t alone in my struggles after reading J. I. Packer’s  Knowing God . Packer suggests that for many unbelievers the “really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man . . . as truly and fully divine as He was human.” Yet this is the truth that makes salvation possible. When the apostle Paul refers to Christ as “the image of the invisible God,” he’s saying Jesus is completely and perfectly God—Creator and Sustainer of all things in heaven and earth‒but  also ...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 24, Friday NO LINE TO LOVE James Banks I have made you and I will carry you.  Isaiah 46:4 Isaiah 46:3–10 Exodus 9–11; Matthew 15:21–39 Sometimes when my Labrador retriever wants attention, he’ll take something of mine and parade it in front of me. One morning as I was writing at the desk with my back turned, Max snatched my wallet and ran off. But realizing I hadn’t seen him do it, he returned and nudged me with his nose—wallet in mouth, eyes dancing, tail wagging, taunting me to play. Max’s antics made me laugh, but they also reminded me of my limitations when it comes to being attentive to others. So often I’ve intended to spend time with family or friends, but other things occupy my time and awareness; and before I know it the day slips away and love is left undone. How comforting to know that our heavenly Father is so great that He’s able to attend to each of us in the most intimate ways...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 23 Thursday WAITING WITH THE TURTLE Amy Peterson I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  Psalm 40:1 Psalm 40:1–5, 14–17 Exodus 7–8; Matthew 15:1–20 Every fall, when the painted turtle senses winter coming, she dives to the bottom of her pond, burying herself in the muck and mud. She pulls into her shell and goes still: her heart rate slows, almost stopping. Her body temperature drops, staying just above freezing. She stops breathing, and she waits. For six months, she stays buried, and her body releases calcium from her bones into her bloodstream, so that she slowly begins even to lose her shape. But when the pond thaws, she will float up and breathe again. Her bones will reform, and she will feel the warmth of the sun on her shell. I think of the painted turtle when I read the psalmist’s description of waiting for God. The psalmist is in a “slimy pit” of “mud and mir...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 22, Wednesday DEMONSTRATING GRACE Amy Boucher Pye You will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.  Micah 7:19 Micah 7:18–20 Exodus 4–6; Matthew 14:22–36 “In moments where tragedy happens or even hurt, there are opportunities to demonstrate grace or to exact vengeance,” the recently bereaved man remarked. “I chose to demonstrate grace.” Pastor Erik Fitzgerald’s wife had been killed in a car accident caused by an exhausted firefighter who fell asleep while driving home, and legal prosecutors wanted to know whether he would seek the maximum sentence. The pastor chose to practice the forgiveness he often preached about. To the surprise of both him and the firefighter, the men eventually became friends. Pastor Erik was living out of the grace he’d received from God, who’d forgiven him all of his sins. Through his actions he echoed the words of the prop...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 21, Tuesday WHERE ARE YOU HEADED ? Mike Wittmer Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”  2 Samuel 12:7 2 Samuel 12:1–14 Exodus 1–3; Matthew 14:1–21 In northern Thailand, the Wild Boars youth soccer team decided to explore a cave together. After an hour they turned to go back and found that the entrance to the cave was flooded. Rising water pushed them deeper into the cave, day after day, until they were finally trapped more than two miles (four kilometers) inside. When they were heroically rescued two weeks later, many wondered how they had become so hopelessly trapped. Answer: one step at a time. In Israel, Nathan confronted David for killing his loyal soldier, Uriah. How did the man “after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) become guilty of murder?  One step at a time . David didn’t go from zero to murder in one afternoon. He warmed up to it, over time, as one bad decision bled int...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 20, Monday CLEAN CONTAINERS Elisa Morgan Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.  Proverbs 10:12 1 Peter 4:7–11 Genesis 49–50; Matthew 13:31–58 “Hatred corrodes the container that carries it.” These words were spoken by former Senator Alan Simpson at the funeral of George H. W. Bush. Attempting to describe his dear friend’s kindness, Senator Simpson recalled how the forty-first president of the United States embraced humor and love rather than hatred in his professional leadership and personal relationships. I relate to the senator’s quote, don’t you? Oh, the damage done to  me  when I harbor hatred! Medical research reveals the damage done to our bodies when we cling to the negative or release bursts of anger. Our blood pressure rises. Our hearts pound. Our spirits sag. Our containers corrode. In Proverbs 10:12, King Solomon observes, “Hatred stirs up conflict, b...