Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD August 16, Sunday BIG ENOUGH Elisa Morgan Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Luke 18:16 Luke 18:15–17 Psalms 94–96; Romans 15:14–33 My grandson ran to the roller coaster line and stood with his back against the height-requirement sign to see if he was big enough to ride. He squealed with joy when his head exceeded the mark. So much of life is about being “big” enough, isn’t it? To move from car seat to seatbelt and from the back seat to the front. To take a driver’s test. To vote. To get married. Like my grandson, we can spend our lives longing to grow up. In New Testament times, children were loved but not highly valued in society until they “became of age” and could contribute to the home and enter the synagogue with adult privileges. Jesus shattered the standards of His day by welcoming the impoverished, the diseased, and even children. Three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) tell of paren...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 15, Saturday RUNNING INTO LOVE Tim Gustafson I have loved you with an everlasting love.  Jeremiah 31:3 Jeremiah 31:1–9 Psalms 91–93; Romans 15:1–13 Nora was tiny, but “Bridget”—the belligerent, six-foot-tall woman glowering down at her—didn’t intimidate her. Bridget couldn’t even say why she had stopped at the crisis pregnancy center; she’d already made up her mind to “get rid of this . . . kid.” So Nora gently asked questions, and Bridget rudely deflected them with profanity-laced tirades. Soon Bridget got up to leave, defiantly declaring her intent to end her pregnancy. Slipping her small frame between Bridget and the door, Nora asked, “Before you go, may I give you a hug, and may I pray for you?” No one had ever hugged her before—not with healthy intentions, anyway. Suddenly, unexpectedly, the tears came. Nora beautifully reflects the heart of our God who loved His people Israel “with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). The people had stumbled into the h...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 14, Friday HOPE BLOSSOMS Patricia Raybon The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.  Isaiah 35:1 Isaiah 35:1–4 Psalms 89–90; Romans 14 In the city of Philadelphia, when weedy vacant lots were cleaned up and brightened with beautiful flowers and trees, nearby residents also brightened in overall mental health. This proved especially true for those who struggled economically. “There’s a growing body of evidence that green space can have an impact on mental health,” said Dr. Eugenia South, “and that’s particularly important for people living in poorer neighborhoods.” South, a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, is coauthor of a study on the subject. The downtrodden people of Israel and Judah found fresh hope in the prophet Isaiah’s vision of their beautiful restoration by God. Amid all the doom and judgment Isaiah foretold, this bright promise took root: “The desert and ...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 13, Thursday A GREAT WORK Glenn Packiam “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”  Nehemiah 6:3 Nehemiah 6:1–4 Psalms 87–88; Romans 13 The security guard found and removed a piece of tape that was keeping a door from clicking shut. Later, when he checked the door, he found it had been taped again. He called the police, who arrived and arrested five burglars. Working at the Watergate building in Washington, DC, the headquarters of a major political party in the US, the young guard had just uncovered the biggest political scandal of his lifetime simply by taking his job seriously—and doing it well. Nehemiah began rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem—a task he took very seriously. Toward the end of the project, neighboring rivals asked him to meet with them in a nearby village. Under the guise of a friendly invitation was an insidious trap (Nehemiah 6:1–2). Yet Nehemiah’s response shows t...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 12 LIVING ON PURPOSE James Banks Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  1 Corinthians 10:31 Romans 12:9–21 Psalms 84–86; Romans 12 “We’re going on vacation!” my wife enthusiastically told our three-year-old grandson Austin as we pulled out of the driveway on the first leg of our trip. Little Austin looked at her thoughtfully and responded, “I’m not going on vacation. I’m going on a mission!” We’re not sure where our grandson picked up the concept of going “on a mission,” but his comment gave me something to ponder as we drove to the airport:  As I leave on this vacation and take a break for a few days, am I keeping in mind that I’m still “on a mission” to live each moment with and for God? Am I remembering to serve Him in everything I do? The apostle Paul encouraged the believers living in Rome, the capital city of the Roman Empire, to “never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). His point was th...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 11, Tuesday NAMED BY GOD Lisa M. Samra “Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.”  Ruth 1:20 Ruth 1:19–22 Psalms 81–83; Romans 11:19–36 Riptide. Batgirl. Jumpstart.  These are a few names given to counselors at the summer camp our family attends every year. Created by their peers, the camp nicknames usually derive from an embarrassing incident, a funny habit, or a favorite hobby.  Nicknames aren’t limited to camp—we even find them used in the Bible. For example, Jesus dubs the apostles James and John the “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). It’s rare in Scripture for someone to give  themselves  a nickname, yet it happens when a woman named Naomi asks people to call her “Mara,” which means “bitterness” (Ruth 1:20), because both her husband and two sons had died. She felt that God had made her life bitter (v. 21).  The new name Naomi gave herself didn’t stick, however, because tho...

OUR DAILY BREAD August 10, Monday ON THE BUBBLE ruth O’reilly-smith You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you . . . into his wonderful light.  1 Peter 2:9 1 Peter 2:4–10 Psalms 79–80; Romans 11:1–18 A news article in May 1970 contained one of the first uses of the idiom “on the bubble.” Referring to a state of uncertainty, the expression was used in relation to rookie race car driver Steve Krisiloff. He’d been “on the bubble,” having posted a slow qualifying lap for the Indianapolis 500. Later, it was confirmed that his time—though the slowest of those who qualified—allowed him to compete in the race. We can feel at times that we’re “on the bubble,” uncertain we have what it takes to compete in or finish the race of life. When we’re feeling that way, it’s important to remember that in Jesus we’re never “on the bubble.” As children of God, our place in His kingdom is secure (John 14:3)...