Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD JULY 26, SUNDAY BETRAYED Lisa M. Samra Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.  Psalm 41:9 John 13:18–22; Psalm 41:9–12 Psalms 40–42; Acts 27:1–26 In 2019, art exhibitions worldwide commemorated the five hundredth anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci. While many of his drawings and scientific discoveries were showcased, there are only five finished paintings universally credited to da Vinci, including  The Last Supper. This intricate mural depicts the final meal Jesus ate with His disciples, as described in the gospel of John. The painting captures the disciples’ confusion at Jesus’ statement, “One of you is going to betray me” (John 13:21). Perplexed, the disciples discussed who the betrayer might be—while Judas quietly slipped out into the night to alert the authorities of the whereabouts of his teacher and friend. Betrayed.  The pain of Judas’ treachery is evident in Jesus’ words, “He w...

OUR DAILY BREAD July 25 Saturday PLOD ON! James Banks “Am I not sending you?”  Judges 6:14 Judges 6:7–16 Psalms 37–39; Acts 26 God loves to use people the world might overlook. William Carey was raised in a tiny village in the 1700s and had little formal education. He had limited success in his chosen trade and lived in poverty. But God gave him a passion for sharing the good news and called him to be a missionary. Carey learned Greek, Hebrew, and Latin and eventually translated the first New Testament into the Bengali language. Today he is regarded as a “father of modern missions,” but in a letter to his nephew he offered this humble assessment of his abilities: “I can plod. I can persevere.” When God calls us to a task, He also gives us strength to accomplish it regardless of our limitations. In Judges 6:12 the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The  Lord  is with you, mighty warrior.” The angel then told him to rescue Israel from the Midianites who were ra...

OUR DAILY BREAD July 24, Friday HIS SCARS Arthur Jackson He was pierced for our transgressions, . . . and by his wounds we are healed.  Isaiah 53:5 John 20:24–29 Psalms 35–36; Acts 2 After my conversation with Grady, it occurred to me why his preferred greeting was a “fist bump” not a handshake. A handshake would’ve exposed the scars on his wrist—the result of his attempts to do himself harm. It’s not uncommon for us to hide our wounds—external or internal—caused by others or self-inflicted. In the wake of my interaction with Grady, I thought about Jesus’ physical scars, the wounds caused by nails pounded into His hands and feet and a spear thrust into His side. Rather than hiding His scars, Christ called attention to them. After Thomas initially doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead, He said to him, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe” (John 20:27). When Thomas saw those scars for himself a...

OUR DAILY BREAD July 23, Thursday A GLIMMER ON THE SEA Tim Gustafson At that time you were separate from Christ. . . . without hope and without God in the world.  Ephesians 2:12 Ephesians 2:1–5, 11–13 Psalms 33–34; Acts 24 “I lay on my bed full of stale liquor and despair,” wrote journalist Malcolm Muggeridge of a particularly dismal evening during his work as a World War II spy. “Alone in the universe, in eternity, with no glimmer of light.” In such a condition, he did the only thing he thought sensible; he tried to drown himself. Driving to the nearby Madagascar coast, he began the long swim into the ocean until he grew exhausted. Looking back, he glimpsed the distant coastal lights. For no reason clear to him at the time, he started swimming back toward the lights. Despite his fatigue, he recalls “an overwhelming joy.” Muggeridge didn’t know exactly how, but he knew God had reached him in that dark moment, infusing him with a hope that could only be supernatural. The apostle Pau...

OUR DAILY BREAD July 22, Wednesday A WIDE, SWEEPING GRACE Winn Collier I have swept away your offenses.  Isaiah 44:22 Isaiah 44:21–23 Psalms 31–32; Acts 23:16–35 Alexa, Amazon’s voice-controlled device, has an interesting feature: it can erase everything you say. Whatever you’ve asked Alexa to do, whatever information you’ve asked Alexa to retrieve, one simple sentence (“Delete everything I said today”) sweeps it all clean, as if it never happened. It’s too bad that the rest of our life doesn’t have this capability. Every misspoken word, every disgraceful act, every moment we wish we could erase—we’d just speak the command, and the entire mess would disappear. There’s good news, though. God does offer each of us a clean start. Only, He goes far deeper than merely deleting our mistakes or bad behavior. God provides redemption, a deep healing that transforms us and makes us new. “Return to me,” He says, “I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22). Even though Israel rebelled and disobeyed, ...

OUR DAILY BREAD July 21, Tuesday A ROYAL ROLE Linda Washington To all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.  John 1:12 John 1:9–14 Psalms 29–30; Acts 23:1–15 The closer someone in a royal family is to the throne, the more the public hears about him or her. Others are almost forgotten. The British royal family has a line of succession that includes nearly sixty people. One of them is Lord Frederick Windsor, who’s forty-ninth in line for the throne. Instead of being in the limelight, he quietly goes about his life. Though he works as a financial analyst, he’s not considered a “working royal”—one of the important family members who are paid for representing the family. David’s son Nathan (2 Samuel 5:14) is another royal who lived outside the limelight. Very little is known about him. But while the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew mentions his son Solomon (tracing Joseph’s line, Matthew 1:6), Luke’s genealogy, which many schol...

OUR DAILY BREAD July 20, Monday HOW TO WAIT Tim Gustafson Hear my voice when I call,  Lord ; be merciful to me and answer me.  Psalm 27:7 Psalm 27:1–3, 7–14 Psalms 26–28; Acts 22 Frustrated and disappointed with church, seventeen-year-old Trevor began a years-long quest for answers. But nothing he explored seemed to satisfy his longings or answer his questions. His journey did draw him closer to his parents. Still, he had problems with Christianity. During one discussion, he exclaimed bitterly, “The Bible is full of empty promises.” Another man faced disappointment and hardship that fueled his doubts. But as David fled from enemies who sought to kill him, his response was not to run from God but to praise Him. “Though war break out against me, even then I will be confident,” he sang (Psalm 27:3). Yet David’s poem still hints at doubt. His cry, “Be merciful to me and answer me” (v. 7), sounds like a man with fears and questions. “Do not hide your face from me,” David pleaded. “...