Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD June 14, Sunday Made for Each Other Alyson Kieda It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.  Genesis 2:18 Genesis 2:18–24 Ezra 9–10; Acts 1 “I take care of him. When he’s happy, I’m happy,” says Stella. Merle replies, “I’m happy when she’s around.” Merle and Stella have been married for 79 years. When Merle was recently admitted to a nursing home, he was miserable—so Stella gladly brought him home. He’s 101, and she’s 95. Though she needs a walker to get around, she lovingly does what she can for her husband, such as preparing the food he likes. But she couldn’t do it on her own. Grandchildren and neighbors help with the things Stella can’t manage. Stella and Merle’s life together is an example of Genesis 2, where God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (v. 18). None of the creatures God brought before Adam fit that description. Only in Eve, made from the rib of Adam, did Adam find...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 13, Saturday HE CHANGED ME Amy Boucher Pye But if a wicked person . . . does what is just and right, they will save their life.  Ezekiel 18:27 Ezekiel 18:25–32 Ezra 6–8; John 21 When John, who ran the biggest brothel in London, was sent to prison, he falsely believed,  I’m a good guy . While there, he decided to attend the Bible study at the prison because there was cake and coffee, but he was struck by how happy the other inmates seemed to be. He started to cry during the first song and later received a Bible. Reading from the prophet Ezekiel changed him, hitting him “like a thunderbolt.” He read, “But if a wicked person turns away from [their] wickedness . . . and does what is just and right, . . . that person will surely live; they will not die” (18:27–28). God’s Word came alive to him and he realized, “I wasn’t a good guy . . . I was wicked and I needed to change.” While praying with the pastor, he said, “I found Jesus Christ and He...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 12 TOGETHER WE WIN Arthur Jackson Two are better than one . . . : If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 Exodus 17:8–13 Ezra 3–5; John 20 In the middle of the night, Pastor Samuel Baggaga received a call asking him to come to the home of a church member. When he arrived, he found a house engulfed by fire. The father, though burned himself, had reentered the home to rescue one of his children and emerged with an unconscious daughter. The hospital, in this rural Ugandan setting, was six miles (10 kilometers) away. With no transportation available, the pastor and the father started running to the hospital with the child. When one of them tired from carrying the injured girl, the other one took over. Together they made the journey; the father and his daughter were treated and then fully recovered. In Exodus 17:8–13 the Lord orchestrated a great victory that included the efforts of Joshua, who led fighting men on the battlefiel...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 11, Thursday PERSPECTIVES FROM ABOVE Anne Cetas I will not yield my glory to another.  Isaiah 48:11 Isaiah 48:5–11, 17 Ezra 1–2; John 19:23–42 When Peter Welch was a young boy in the 1970s, using a metal detector was only a hobby. But since 1990, he’s been leading people from around the world on metal-detecting excursions. They’ve made thousands of discoveries—swords, ancient jewelry, coins. Using “Google Earth,” a computer program based on satellite imagery, they look for patterns in the landscape on farmland in the United Kingdom. It shows them where roads, buildings, and other structures may have been centuries ago. Peter says, “To have a perspective from above opens a whole new world.”  God’s people in Isaiah’s day needed “a perspective from above.” They prided themselves on being His people yet were disobedient and refused to give up their idols. God had another perspective. Despite their rebellion, He would rescue them from captivity to Babylon....

OUR DAILY BREAD June 10, Wednesday “GOD STUFF” Tim GUSTAFSON Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  1 Peter 3:15 1 Peter 3:13–18 2 Chronicles 34–36; John 19:1–22 Most of Mike’s co-workers knew little about Christianity, nor did they seem to care. But they knew  he  cared. One day near the Easter season, someone casually mentioned that they’d heard Easter had something to do with Passover and wondered what the connection was. “Hey, Mike!” he said. “You know about this God stuff. What’s Passover?” So Mike explained how God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. He told them about the ten plagues, including the death of the firstborn in every household. He explained how the death angel “passed over” the houses whose doorframes were covered by the blood of a sacrificed lamb. Then he shared how Jesus was later crucified at the Passover season as the once-and-for-all sacrificial Lamb. Suddenly Mike ...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 9, Tuesday OUR REASON FOR JOY Xochitl Dixon Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.  Psalm 149:2 Psalm 149:1–5 2 Chronicles 32–33; John 18:19–40 When the school year began a few years ago, fourteen-year-old C.J. would hop off the bus every afternoon and dance down his driveway. His mom recorded and shared videos of C.J.’s after-school boogie time. He danced because he enjoyed life and “making people happy” with every move. One day, two garbage collectors took time out of their busy work schedule to stomp, spin, and sway with the young boy who inspires others to dance with him. This trio demonstrates the power of sincere and infectious joy. The writer of Psalm 149 describes the original source of enduring and unconditional joy—God. The psalmist encourages God’s people to join together when we can to “sing to the  Lord  a new song” (v. 1). He invites Israel to “rejoice in their Maker” and “be glad in their King” ...

OUR DAILY BREAD June 8 Monday TRULY HUMBLE, TRULY GREAT Winn COLLIER [Christ Jesus] made himself nothing.  Philippians 2:7 Philippians 2:1–11 2 Chronicles 30–31; John 18:1–18 As the American Revolution concluded with England’s improbable surrender, many politicians and military leaders maneuvered to make General George Washington a new monarch. The world watched, wondering if Washington would stick to his ideals of freedom and liberty when absolute power was within his grasp. England’s King George III saw another reality, however. He was convinced that if Washington resisted the power pull and returned to his Virginia farm, he would be “the greatest man in the world.” The king knew that the greatness evidenced in resisting the allure to power is a sign of true nobility and significance.  Paul knew this same truth and encouraged us to follow Christ’s humble way. Even though Jesus was “in very nature God,” he “did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own ad...