Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD December 20, Sunday LOOK FOR THE GREEN Elisa Morgan The  Lord  is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  Psalm 23:1 Psalm 23 Micah 1–3; Revelation 11 The gravelly voiced captain announced yet another delay. Crammed in my window seat aboard a plane that had already sat unmoving for two hours, I chafed in frustration. After a long workweek away, I longed for the comfort and rest of home.  How much longer?  As I gazed out the raindrop-covered window, I noticed a lonely triangle of green grass growing in the gap of cement where runways met. Such an odd sight in the middle of all that concrete. As an experienced shepherd, David knew well the need to provide the rest of green pastures for his sheep. In Psalm 23, he penned an important lesson that would carry him forward in the exhausting days of leading as king of Israel. “The  Lord  is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, . . . he refreshes my soul” (vv. 1–3). On the c...

OUR DAILY BREAD December 19, Saturday WHO ARE YOU WEARING? Mike Wittmer I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.  Zechariah 3:4 Zechariah 3:1–7,10 Jonah 1–4; Revelation 10 The Argentine women’s basketball team came to their tournament game wearing the wrong uniforms. Their navy blue jerseys were too similar to Colombia’s dark blue jerseys, and as the visiting team they should have worn white. With no time to find replacement uniforms and change, they had to forfeit the game. In the future, Argentina will surely double-check what they’re wearing. In the time of the prophet Zechariah, God showed him a vision in which the high priest Joshua came before God wearing smelly, filthy clothes. Satan sneered and pointed. He’s disqualified! Game over! But there  was  time to change. God rebuked Satan and told His angel to remove Joshua’s grubby garments. He turned to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you” (Zecharia...

OUR DAILY BREAD December 18, Friday THE LANGUAGE OF THE CROSS Bill Crowder God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8 Romans 5:1–10 Obadiah; Revelation 9 Pastor Tim Keller said, “Nobody ever learns who they are by being told. They must be shown.” In a sense, it’s one application of the adage, “Actions speak louder than words.” Spouses show their mates that they’re appreciated by listening to them and loving them. Parents show their children they’re valued by lovingly caring for them. Coaches show athletes they have potential by investing in their development. And on it goes. By the same token, a different kind of action can show people painful things that communicate much darker messages. Of all the action-based messages in the universe, there’s one that matters most. When we want to be shown who we are in God’s eyes, we need look no further than His actions on the cross. In Romans 5:8, Paul wrote, “God demonstrates hi...

OUR DAILY BREAD December 17 LEAVE A LITTLE BEHIND John Blase Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you.  Leviticus 23:22 Leviticus 23:15–22 Amos 7–9; Revelation 8 Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and occasionally a half-dollar. That’s what you’d find on the nightstand beside his bed. He’d empty his pockets each evening and leave the contents there, for he knew eventually they’d come to visit— they  being his grandchildren. Over the years the kids learned to visit his nightstand as soon as they arrived. He could have put all that spare change in a coin bank or even stored it away in a savings account. But he didn’t. He delighted in leaving it there for the little ones, the precious guests in his home. A similar mindset is what’s expressed in Leviticus 23 when it comes to bringing in the harvest from the land. God, via Moses, told the people something quite counterintuitive: not to “reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings o...

OUR DAILY BREAD December 16, Wednesday CHRISTMAS AWE Sheridan Voysey Let all God’s angels worship him.  Hebrews 1:6 Hebrews 1:1–9 Amos 4–6; Revelation 7 I was in London one night for a meeting. It was pouring rain, and I was late. I rushed through the streets, turned a corner, and then stopped still. Dozens of angels hovered above Regent Street, their giant shimmering wings stretching across the traffic. Made of thousands of pulsing lights, it was the most amazing Christmas display I’d seen. I wasn’t the only one captivated. Hundreds lined the street, gazing up in awe. Awe is central to the Christmas story. When the angel appeared to Mary explaining she would miraculously conceive (Luke 1:26–38), and to the shepherds announcing Jesus’ birth (2:8–20), each reacted with fear, wonder—and  awe . Looking around at that Regent Street crowd, I wondered if we were experiencing in part what those first angelic encounters felt like. A moment later, I noticed something else. Some of the ...

OUR DAILY BREAD December 15, Tuesday GENTLE SPEECH Patricia Raybon The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome.  2 Timothy 2:24 2 Timothy 2:22–26 Amos 1–3; Revelation 6 I was on Facebook, arguing.  Bad  move. What made me think I was obligated to “correct” a stranger on a hot topic—especially a divisive one? The results were heated words, hurt feelings (on my part anyway), and a broken opportunity to witness well for Jesus. That’s the sum outcome of “internet anger.” It’s the term for the harsh words flung daily across the blogosphere. As one ethics expert explained, people wrongly conclude that rage “is how public ideas are talked about.” Paul’s wise advice to Timothy gave the same caution. “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone” (2 Timothy 2:23–24). Paul’s good counsel, written to Timothy from a Roman prison, was sent to pre...

OUR DAILY BREAD December 14, Monday WHO YOU ARE Anne Cetas What is mankind that you are mindful of them?  Psalm 8:4 Psalm 8 Joel 1–3; Revelation 5 His name is Dnyan, and he considers himself a student of the world. And “this is a very big school,” he says of all the cities and towns he’s passed through. He began a four-year journey on his bicycle in 2016 to meet and learn from people. When there’s a language barrier, he finds that sometimes people can understand just by looking at each other. He also depends on a translation app on his phone to communicate. He doesn’t measure his journey in the miles he’s traveled or the sights he’s seen. Instead, he measures it in the people who’ve left an imprint on his heart: “Maybe I do not know your language, but I would like to find out who you are.”  It’s a very big world, yet God knows everything about it and the people in it—fully and completely. The psalmist David was in awe of God when he considered all the works of His hands: the m...