Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD September 13 Sunday FRIENDLY FIN Glenn Packiam Am I my brother’s keeper?  Genesis 4:9 Genesis 4:8–16 Proverbs 16–18; 2 Corinthians 6 A marine biologist was swimming near the Cook Islands in the South Pacific when a 50,000-pound humpback whale suddenly appeared and tucked her under its fin. The woman thought her life was over. But after swimming slowly in circles, the whale let her go. It’s then that the biologist saw a tiger shark leaving the area. The woman believes the whale had been protecting her—keeping her from danger. In a world of danger, we’re called to watch out for others. But you might ask yourself,  Should I really be expected to be responsible for someone else?  Or in Cain’s words: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). The rest of the Old Testament resounds with the thunderous response:  Yes!  Just as Adam was to care for the garden, so Cain was to care for Abel. Israel was to keep watch over the vulnerable and care for the nee...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 12, Saturday DAY OF ENCOURAGEMENT Estera Pirosca Escobar We urge you, brothers and sisters, . . . encourage the disheartened.  1 Thessalonians 5:14 1 Thessalonians 5:12–28 Proverbs 13–15; 2 Corinthians 5 First responders show dedication and courage daily by being on the front lines when disasters occur. In the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City in 2001 when thousands of people were killed or injured, more than four hundred emergency workers also lost their lives. In honor of first responders, the US Senate designated September 12 as the National Day of Encouragement. While it may seem unique that a government would declare a national day of encouragement, the apostle Paul certainly thought this was needed for the growth of a church. He commended the young church in Thessalonica, a city in Macedonia, to “encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Although they were going through persecuti...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 11, Friday FIRE IN THE DESERT Tim Gustafson I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.  Exodus 3:10 Exodus 3:1–10 Proverbs 10–12; 2 Corinthians 4 While riding in the Chihuahuan Desert in the late 1800s, Jim White spotted a strange cloud of smoke spiraling skyward. Suspecting a wildfire, the young cowboy rode toward the source, only to learn that the “smoke” was a vast swarm of bats spilling from a hole in the ground. White had come across New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns, an immense and spectacular system of caves. As Moses was tending sheep in a Middle Eastern desert, he too saw an odd sight that grabbed his attention—a flaming bush that didn’t burn up (Exodus 3:2). When God Himself spoke from the bush, Moses realized he had come to something far grander than it had first appeared. He told Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham” (v. 6). God was about to lead an enslaved people to freedom and show them th...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 10, Thursday MAKING HIS MUSIC Patricia Raybon We all . . . are being transformed into his image.  2 Corinthians 3:18 2 Corinthians 3:17–18 Proverbs 8–9; 2 Corinthians 3 Choir director Arianne Abela spent her childhood sitting on her hands—to  hide  them. Born with fingers missing or fused together on both hands, she also had no left leg and was missing toes on her right foot. A music lover and lyric soprano, she’d planned to major in government at Smith College. But one day her choir teacher asked her to conduct the choir, which made her hands quite visible. From that moment, she found her career, going on to conduct church choirs and serving now as director of choirs at another university. “My teachers saw something in me,” Abela explains. Her inspiring story invites believers to ask,  What   does God, our holy Teacher, see in us, regardless of our “limits”?  More than anything, He sees Himself. “So God created human bei...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 9 PRINTED ON OUR HEARTS Kirsten Holmberg Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.  Proverbs 7:3 Proverbs 7:1–5 Proverbs 6–7; 2 Corinthians 2 When Johannes Gutenberg combined the printing press with moveable type in 1450, he ushered in the era of mass communications in the West, spreading learning into new social realms. Literacy increased across the globe and new ideas produced rapid transformations in social and religious contexts. Gutenberg produced the first-ever printed version of the Bible. Prior to this, Bibles were painstakingly hand-copied, taking scribes up to a year to produce. For centuries since, the printing press has provided people like you and me the privilege of direct access to Scripture. While we also have electronic versions available to us, many of us often hold a physical Bible in our hands because of his invention. What was once inaccessible given the sheer cost and time to have a Bible copied is readily at ...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 8, Tuesday LOVING OTHERS WITH OUR PRAYERS James Banks This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.  2 Corinthians 1:9 2 Corinthians 1:8–11 Proverbs 3–5; 2 Corinthians 1 “Are people still praying for me?” That was one of the first questions a missionary asked his wife whenever she was allowed to visit him in prison. He had been falsely accused and incarcerated for his faith for two years. His life was frequently in danger because of the conditions and hostility in the prison, and believers around the world were earnestly praying for him. He wanted to be assured they wouldn’t stop, because he believed God was using their prayers in a powerful way. Our prayers for others—especially those who are persecuted for their faith—are a vital gift. Paul made this clear when he wrote the believers in Corinth about hardships he faced during his missionary journey. He “was under great pressure,” so much that he “despaired of lif...

OUR DAILY BREAD September 7, Monday NOW, THEN NEXT Dave Branon He holds success in store for the upright.  Proverbs 2:7 Proverbs 2:1–11 Proverbs 1–2; 1 Corinthians 16 I recently attended a high school graduation during which the speaker provided a needed challenge for the young adults awaiting their diplomas. He mentioned that this was a time in their lives when everyone was asking them, “What’s next?” What career would they be pursuing next? Where would they be going to school or working next? Then he said that the more important question was what were they doing now? In the context of their faith journey, what daily decisions would they be making that would guide them to live for Jesus and not for themselves? His words reminded me of the book of Proverbs, which makes many pointed statements about how to live—now. For instance: practicing honesty, now (11:1); choosing the right friends, now (12:26); living with integrity, now (13:6); having good judgment, now (13:15); speaking wis...