Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD May 31, Sunday EASY DOES IT David H. ROPE It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.  Philippians 2:13 Philippians 2:12–18 2 Chronicles 13–14; John 12:1–26 My father and I used to fell trees and cut them to size with a two-man crosscut saw. Being young and energetic, I tried to force the saw into the cut. “Easy does it,” my father would say. “Let the saw do the work.” I think of Paul’s words in Philippians: “It is God who works in you” (2:13). Easy does it. Let Him do the work of changing us. C. S. Lewis said that growth is much more than reading what Christ said and carrying it out. He explained, “A real Person, Christ, . . . is doing things to you . . . gradually turning you permanently into . . . a new little Christ, a being which . . . shares in His power, joy, knowledge and eternity.” God is at that process today. Sit at the feet of Jesus and take in what He has to say. Pray. “Keep yourselves in God’s love” (Jude 1:21), ...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 30, Saturday DO WHATEVER Sheridan Voysey For without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  Ecclesiastes 2:25 Ecclesiastes 2:17–25 2 Chronicles 10–12; John 11:30–57 In a recent film, a self-proclaimed “genius” rants to the camera about the world’s “horror, corruption, ignorance, and poverty,” declaring life to be godless and absurd. While such thinking isn’t unusual in many modern film scripts, what’s interesting is where it leads. In the end, the lead character turns to the audience and implores us to do whatever it takes to find a little happiness. For him, this includes leaving traditional morality behind. But will “do whatever” work? Facing his own despair at life’s horrors, the Old Testament writer of Ecclesiastes gave it a try long ago, searching for happiness through pleasure (Ecclesiastes 2:1, 10), grand work projects (vv. 4–6), riches (vv. 7–9), and philosophical inquiry (vv. 12–16). And his assessment? “All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind”...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 29, FRIDAY THE MAKER OF THE MOON Xochitl DIXON [The  Lord  said,] “I will be their God and they will be my people.”  Jeremiah 31:33 Jeremiah 31:33–37 2 Chronicles 7–9; John 11:1–29 After astronauts set the  Eagle  down in the Sea of Tranquility, Neil Armstrong said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” He was the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. Other space travelers followed, including the commander of the last Apollo mission, Gene Cernan. “There I was, and there you are, the Earth—dynamic, overwhelming, and I felt . . . it was just too beautiful to happen by accident,” Cernan said. “There has to be somebody bigger than you and bigger than me.” Even from their unique view in deep space, these men understood their smallness in comparison to the vastness of the universe. The prophet Jeremiah also considered the immensity of God as Creator and Sustainer of the earth and beyond. The Maker of all promised to...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 28, Thursday GOOD MEASURE Remi Oyedele Give, and it will be given to you.  Luke 6:38 Luke 6:32–38 2 Chronicles 4–6; John 10:24–42 At a gas station one day, Staci encountered a woman who had left home without her bank card. Stranded with her baby, she was asking passersby for help. Although unemployed at the time, Staci spent $15 to put gas in the stranger’s tank. Days later, Staci came home to find a gift basket of children’s toys and other presents waiting on her porch. Friends of the stranger had reciprocated Staci’s kindness and converted her $15 blessing into a memorable Christmas for her family. This heartwarming story illustrates the point Jesus made when he said, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). It can be tempting to hear this and focus on what we get out of giving, but doing so would miss ...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 27, Wednesday WHY ME? Mart DeHaan Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?  Job 7:20 Job 7:17–21 2 Chronicles 1–3; John 10:1–23 The Book of Odds  says that one in a million people are struck by lightning. It also says that one in 25,000 experiences a medical condition called “broken heart syndrome” in the face of overwhelming shock or loss. In page after page the odds of experiencing specific problems pile up without answering: What if we’re the one? Job defied all odds. God said of him, “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). Yet Job was chosen to suffer a series of losses that defied all odds. Of all people on earth, Job had reason to beg for an answer. It’s all there for us to read in chapter after chapter of his desperate struggle to understand, “Why me?” Job’s story gives us a way of responding to the mystery of unexplained pain and evil. By describing the s...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 26, Tuesday SWEETER THAN HONEY Patricia Raybon Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24 Proverbs 16:1–2, 21–24 1 Chronicles 28–29; John 9:24–41 His topic was racial tension. Yet the speaker remained calm and collected. Standing on stage before a large audience, he spoke boldly—but with grace, humility, kindness, and even humor. Soon the tense audience visibly relaxed, laughing along with the speaker about the dilemma they all faced: how to resolve their hot issue, but cool down their feelings and words. Yes, how to tackle a sour topic with sweet grace. King Solomon advised this same approach for all of us: “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). In this way, “The hearts of the wise make . . . their lips promote instruction” (v. 23). Why would a powerful king like Solomon devote time to addressing how we speak? Because words can destroy. During Solomon’s time...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 25, Monday REMEMBERING Alyson Kieda Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  John 15:13 John 15:9–17 1 Chronicles 25–27; John 9:1–23 On Memorial Day, I think of many military veterans but especially my dad and uncles, who served in the military during World War II. They made it home, but in that war hundreds of thousands of families tragically lost loved ones in service to their country. Yet, when asked, my dad and most soldiers from that era would say they were willing to give up their lives to protect their loved ones and stand for what they believed to be right. When someone dies in defense of their country, John 15:13—“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”—is often recited during the funeral service to honor their sacrifice. But what were the circumstances behind this verse? When Jesus spoke those words to His disciples during the Last Supper, He was about to die. And, in fact, one o...