Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OIR DAILY BREAD November 29, Sunday SWEET AGAIN Marvin Williams On this mountain the  Lord  Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples.  Isaiah 25:6 Isaiah 25:1–9 Ezekiel 35–36; 2 Peter 1 Russian wedding customs are filled with beauty and significance. One such custom takes place during the reception as the toastmaster proposes a toast in honor of the couple. Everyone takes a sip from their raised glass and then shouts,  “Gor’ko! Gor’ko!”  meaning “Bitter! Bitter!” When the guests shout that word, the newlyweds must rise and kiss each other in order to make the drink sweet again. Isaiah prophesies that the bitter drink of desolation, ruin, and the curse upon the earth (ch. 24) will give way to the sweet hope of a new heaven and new earth (ch. 25). God will prepare a feast of rich foods and the finest and sweetest of drinks. It will be a banquet of continual blessing, fruitfulness, and provision for all people (25:6). There’s more. Under the ...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 27, Friday FACING THE BATTLE Sheridan Voysey Look to the  Lord  and his strength; seek his face always.  1 Chronicles 16:11 1 Chronicles 16:1–11 Ezekiel 30–32; 1 Peter 4 Not long ago I met up with a group of friends. As I listened to the conversation, it seemed like  everyone  in the room was facing some significant battle. Two of us had parents fighting cancer, one had a child with an eating disorder, another friend was experiencing chronic pain, and another was facing major surgery. It seemed a lot for a bunch of people in their thirties and forties. First Chronicles 16 recounts a key moment in Israel’s history when the ark of the covenant was brought into the City of David (Jerusalem). Samuel tells us it happened in a moment of peace between battles (2 Samuel 7:1). When the ark was in place, symbolizing God’s presence, David led the people in a song of praise (1 Chronicles 16:8–36). Together the nation sang of God’s wonder-working pow...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 28, Saturday BREATH AND BREVITY Alyson Kieda All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139:16 Psalm 139:7–16 Ezekiel 33–34; 1 Peter 5 Mom, my sisters, and I waited by Dad’s bed as his breaths became shallower and less and less frequent—until they were no more. Dad was a few days shy of eighty-nine when he slipped quietly into the life beyond where God awaited him. His departure left us with a void where he once resided and only memories and mementos to remind us of him. Yet we have the hope that one day we’ll be reunited. We have that hope because we believe Dad is with God, who knows and loves him. When Dad breathed his first breath, God was there breathing breath into his lungs (Isaiah 42:5). Yet even before his first and with every breath in between, God was intimately involved in each detail of Dad’s life, just as He is in yours and mine. It was God who wonderfully designed and “knit” him together in th...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 26, Thursday GIVING THANKS ALWAYS Amy Boucher Pye Give praise to the  Lord , proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Isaiah 12:4 Isaiah 12 Ezekiel 27–29; 1 Peter 3 In the seventeenth century, Martin Rinkart served as a clergyman in Saxony, Germany, for more than thirty years during times of war and plague. One year he conducted more than 4,000 funerals, including his wife’s, and at times food was so scarce that his family went hungry. Although he could have despaired, his faith in God remained strong and he gave thanks continually. In fact, he poured his gratitude into  “Nun danket alle Gott,”  the song that became the well-loved English hymn, “Now Thank We All Our God.” Rinkart followed the example of the prophet Isaiah, who instructed God’s people to give thanks at all times, including when they’d disappointed God (Isaiah 12:1) or when enemies oppressed them. Even then they were to exalt God’s name, making “k...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 25, Wednesday ANYONE AND EVERYONE Jennifer Benson Schuldt Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.  Romans 10:13 Romans 10:5–15 Ezekiel 24–26; 1 Peter 2 The country of El Salvador has honored Jesus by placing a sculpture of Him in the center of its capital city. Although the monument resides in the middle of a busy traffic circle, its height makes it easy to see, and its name— The Divine Savior of the World —communicates reverence for His supernatural status. The monument’s name affirms what the Bible says about Jesus (1 John 4:14). He’s the One who offers salvation to everyone. Christ crosses cultural boundaries and accepts any sincere person who wants to know Him, regardless of age, education, ethnicity, past sin, or social status. The apostle Paul traveled the ancient world telling people about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. He shared this good news with political and religious authorities, soldiers, Jews, gentiles, men, wome...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 24, Tuesday TAUGHT BY TURKEYS Adam R. Holz Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Matthew 6:26 Matthew 6:25–34 Ezekiel 22–23; 1 Peter 1 Do you know what a group of turkeys is called? It’s called a rafter. Why am I writing about turkeys? Because I’ve just returned from a weekend at a mountain cabin. Each day, I marveled at the train of turkeys parading past our porch. I’d never turkey-watched before. They scratched fiercely with spectacular talons. Then they hunted and pecked at the ground. Eating, I assume. (Since this was my first turkey-observation time, I wasn’t 100 percent positive.) The scrawny scrubs in the area didn’t look like they could sustain anything. Yet here were these turkeys, a dozen of them, all of which looked delectably plump. Watching those well-fed turkeys brought to mind Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow...

OUR DAILY BREAD November 23, Monday SPACE FOR ME Tim Gustafson Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.  Mark 3:13 Mark 3:13–19 Ezekiel 20–21; James 5 He was an aging military veteran, rough-edged and given to even rougher language. One day a friend cared enough about him to inquire about his spiritual beliefs. The man’s dismissive response came quickly: “God doesn’t have space for someone like me.” Perhaps that was just part of his “tough-guy” act, but his words couldn’t be further from the truth! God creates space  especially  for the rough, the guilt-ridden, and the excluded to belong and thrive in His community. This was obvious from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when He made some surprising choices for His disciples. First, He chose several fishermen from Galilee—the “wrong side of the tracks” from the perspective of those in Jerusalem. He also selected a tax collector, Matthew, whose profession included extorting f...