Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD May 10, SUNDAY FOREVER LOVE Xochitl DIXON And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.  1 John 4:16 Psalm 136:1–9 2 Kings 10–12; John 1:29–51 Years ago, my four-year-old son gave me a framed wooden heart mounted on a metal plate with the word  forever  painted in its center. “I love you forever, Mommy,” he said. I thanked him with a hug. “I love you more.” That priceless gift still assures me of my son’s never-ending love. On tough days, God uses that sweet present to comfort and encourage me as He affirms I’m deeply loved. The frame also reminds me of the gift of God’s everlasting love, as expressed throughout His Word and confirmed by His Spirit. We can trust God’s unchanging goodness and sing grateful praises that confirm His enduring love, as the psalmist does (Psalm 136:1). We can exalt the Lord as greater than and above all (vv. 2–3), as we reflect on His endless wonders and unlimited understanding (vv. 4–5). The God who loves us ...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 9, Saturday DOUBT AND FAITH Poh Fang CHIA The  Lord  gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the  Lord  be praised.  Job 1:21 Job 1:20–22; 2:7–10 2 Kings 7–9; John 1:1–28 MingTeck woke up with a severe headache and thought it was another migraine. But when he got out of bed, he collapsed onto the floor. He was admitted to the hospital where the doctors informed him he’d had a stroke. After four months of rehabilitation, he recovered his ability to think and talk but still walks with a painful limp. He often struggles with despair, but he finds great comfort from the book of Job.  Job lost all his wealth and his children overnight. Despite the harrowing news, he at first looked to God in hope and praised Him for being the source of everything. He acknowledged God’s sovereign hand even in times of calamity (Job 1:21). We marvel at his strong faith, but Job also struggled with despair. After he lost his health too (2:7),...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 8, FRIDAY THE MAN WHO COULDN’T TALK Dave Branon Great is the  Lord  and most worthy of praise.  Psalm 96:4 Psalm 96 2 Kings 4–6; Luke 24:36–53 Sitting in his wheelchair at a senior citizens home in Belize, a man joyfully listened as a group of American high school teenagers sang about Jesus. Later, as some of the teens tried to communicate with him, they discovered he couldn’t talk. A stroke had robbed him of his ability to speak. Since they couldn’t carry on a conversation with the man, the teens decided to sing to him. As they began to sing, something amazing happened. The man who couldn’t talk began to sing. With enthusiasm, he belted out “How Great Thou Art” right along with his new friends. It was a remarkable moment for everyone. This man’s love for God broke through the barriers and poured out in audible worship—heartfelt, joyous worship. We all have worship barriers from time to time. Maybe it’s a relationship conflict or a money problem. Or it...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 7, Thursday GO-BETWEEN PRAYER Jennifer Benson Schuldt The Spirit intercedes for God’s people.  Romans 8:27 Romans 8:26–34 2 Kings 1–3; Luke 24:1–35 Late one Saturday afternoon, my family and I stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. As the waiter set crispy fries and thick burgers on our table, my husband glanced up and asked his name. Then he said, “We pray as a family before we eat. Is there something we can pray for you today?” Allen, whose name we now knew, looked at us with a mixture of surprise and anxiety. A short silence followed before he told us that he was sleeping on his friend’s couch each night, his car had just quit working, and he was broke. As my husband quietly asked God to provide for Allen and show him His love, I thought about how our go-between prayer was similar to what happens when the Holy Spirit takes up our cause and connects us with God. In our moments of greatest need—when we realize we’re no match to handle life on our own, when we...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 6, Friday IMPOSSIBLE FORGIVENESS Winn Collier Father, forgive them.  Luke 23:34 Luke 23:32–43 1 Kings 21–22; Luke 23:26–56 Liberators found the following prayer crumpled among the remains of the Ravensbruck concentration camp where Nazis exterminated nearly 50,000 women:  O Lord, remember not only the men and women of goodwill, but also those of ill will. But do not remember the suffering they have inflicted upon us. Remember the fruits we brought thanks to this suffering—our comradeship, our loyalty, our humility, the courage, the generosity, the greatness of heart which has grown out of this. And when they come to judgment, let all the fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness. I can’t imagine the fear and pain inflicted on the terrorized woman who wrote this prayer. I can’t imagine what kind of inexplicable grace these words required of her. She did the unthinkable: she sought God’s forgiveness for her oppressors. This prayer echoes Christ’s prayer....

OUR DAILY BREAD May 5, Tuesday STRENGTH FOR THE JOURNEY Amy Boucher Pye All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”   1 Kings 19:5 1 Kings 19:1–9 1 Kings 19–20; Luke 23:1–25 One summer, I faced what seemed an impossible task—a big writing project with a looming deadline. Having spent day after day on my own, endeavoring to get the words onto the page, I felt exhausted and discouraged, and I wanted to give up. A wise friend asked me, “When’s the last time you felt refreshed? Maybe you need to allow yourself to rest and to enjoy a good meal.” I knew immediately that she was right. Her advice made me think of Elijah and the terrifying message he received from Jezebel (1 Kings 19:2)—although, of course, my writing project wasn’t anywhere near the cosmic scale of the prophet’s experience. After Elijah triumphed over the false prophets on Mount Carmel, Jezebel sent word that she would capture and kill him, and he despaired, longing to die. But then he enjoyed a good...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 4, MONDAY ECLIPSE Lisa M. Samra I will restore David’s fallen shelter—I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins—and will rebuild it as it used to be.  Amos 9:11 Amos 8:9–12; 9:11–12 1 Kings 16–18; Luke 22:47–71 I was prepared with eye protection, an ideal viewing location, and homemade moon pie desserts. Along with millions of people in the US, my family watched the rare occurrence of a total solar eclipse—the moon covering the entire disk of the sun.  The eclipse caused an unusual darkness to come over the typically bright summer afternoon. Although for us this eclipse was a fun celebration and a reminder of God’s incredible power over creation (Psalm 135:6–7), throughout history darkness during the day has been seen as abnormal and foreboding (Exodus 10:21; Matthew 27:45), a sign that everything is not as it should be.  This is what darkness signified for Amos, a prophet during the time of the divided monarchy in ancient Israel. Amos warne...