Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD January 24, Sunday SURRENDERING ALL Amy Boucher Pye Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”  Mark 10:28 Mark 10:26–31 Exodus 9–11; Matthew 15:21–39 Two men remembered for serving others for Jesus left careers in the arts to commit themselves to where they believed God had called them. James O. Fraser (1886–1938) decided not to pursue being a concert pianist in England to serve the Lisu people in China, while the American Judson Van DeVenter (1855–1939) chose to become an evangelist instead of pursuing a career in art. He later wrote the hymn “I Surrender All.” While having a vocation in the arts is the perfect calling for many, these men believed God called them to relinquish one career for another. Perhaps they found inspiration from Jesus counseling the rich, young ruler to give up his possessions to follow Him (Mark 10:17–25). Witnessing the exchange, Peter exclaimed, “We have left everything to follow you!” (v. 28). Jesus assured him that God wo...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 23, Saturday THE DEEPEST PLACES Bill Crowder I am worn out from my groaning.  Psalm 6:6 Psalm 6 Exodus 7–8; Matthew 15:1–20 Victor Hugo (1802–1885), a poet and novelist during the social and political upheavals of nineteenth-century France, is perhaps best known for his classic  Les Miserables.  Over a century later, a musical adaptation of his novel has become one of our generation’s most popular productions. This shouldn’t surprise us. As Hugo once said, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” The psalmists would have agreed. Their songs and prayers provide us with honest reflections on life and its inevitable pain. They touch us in places we find difficult to access. For example, in Psalm 6:6 David cries out, “I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.” The fact that such raw honesty is included in the inspired songs of the Script...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 22, Friday RUNNING TO TELL Kirsten Holmberg So the women . . . ran to tell his disciples.  Matthew 28:8 Matthew 28:1–10 Exodus 4–6; Matthew 14:22–36 The modern-day marathon is based on the story of a Greek messenger, Pheidippides. According to legend, in 490 bc he ran approximately twenty-five miles (forty kilometers) from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks’ victory against their formidable foe, the invading Persians. Today, people run marathons for the personal satisfaction of an athletic achievement, but Pheidippides had a greater purpose behind his effort: each of his steps was run for the sheer joy of delivering good news to his kinsmen! Some five hundred years later, two women also ran to deliver good news—the most pivotal news in all of history. When Mary and Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb where Jesus had been placed after His crucifixion, they found it empty. An angel told them that Jesus had “risen from the dead” and to “go quickly an...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 21, Thursday SMALL FISH Cindy Hess Kasper Come, follow me.  Matthew 19:21 Matthew 19:16–26 Exodus 1–3; Matthew 14:1–21 Over several years, a British couple living in West Africa developed a strong friendship with a man in their town and many times shared the love of Jesus and the story of salvation with him. Their friend, however, was reluctant to relinquish the lifetime of allegiance he had to another religion, even though he came to recognize that faith in Christ was “the greater truth.” His concern was partly financial, since he was a leader in his faith and depended on the compensation he received. He also feared losing his reputation among the people in his community. With sadness, he explained, “I’m like a man fishing with my hands in a stream. I have caught a small fish in one, but a bigger fish is swimming by. To catch the bigger fish, I have to let go of the smaller one!” The rich young ruler Matthew wrote about in Matthew 19 had a similar problem. ...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 20, Wednesday GOD’S FOOTPRINTS James Banks How many are your works, L ord !  Psalm 104:24 Psalm 104:24–35 Genesis 49–50; Matthew 13:31–58 “I know where God lives,” our four-year-old grandson told my wife, Cari. “Where is that?” she asked, her curiosity piqued. “He lives in the woods beside your house,” he answered. When Cari told me about their conversation, she wondered what prompted his thinking. “I know,” I responded. “When we went for a walk in the woods during his last visit, I told him that even though we can’t see God, we can see the things He’s done.” “Do you see the footprints I’m making?” I had asked my grandson as we stepped through a sandy place by a river. “The animals and the trees and the river are like God’s footprints. We know that He’s been here because we can see the things He’s made.” The writer of Psalm 104 also pointed to the evidence for God in creation, exclaiming “How many are your works, L ord ! In wisdom you made them all; the eart...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 19, Tuesday UNBREAKABLE FAITH Xochitl Dixon You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Isaiah 26:3 Isaiah 26:3–13 Genesis 46–48; Matthew 13:1–30 After doctors diagnosed their first-born son with autism, Diane Dokko Kim and her husband grieved facing a lifetime of caring for a cognitively disabled child. In her book  Unbroken Faith,  she admits to struggling with adjusting their dreams and expectations for their beloved son’s future. Yet through this painful process, they learned that God can handle their anger, doubts, and fears. Now, with their son reaching adulthood, Diane uses her experiences to encourage parents of children with special needs. She tells others about God’s unbreakable promises, limitless power, and loving faithfulness. She assures people that He gives us permission to grieve when we experience the death of a dream, an expectation, a way or a season of life. In Isaiah 26,...

OUR DAILY BREAD January 18, Monday A LEGACY OF ACCEPTANCE Arthur Jackson Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.  Romans 15:7 Romans 15:5–13 Genesis 43–45; Matthew 12:24–50 In his book  Breaking Down Walls,  Glen Kehrein writes about climbing to the roof of his college dorm in Chicago after the assassination of civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. “The sound of gunfire bounced eerily back and forth off the large buildings, and soon my rooftop perch provided a near panoramic, yet horrific, view. . . . How in the world did I get from a Wisconsin cornfield to a war zone in the inner city of Chicago in less than two years?” Compelled by his love for Jesus and people whose backgrounds were different from his, Glen lived on Chicago’s West Side and led a ministry there that provided food, clothing, shelter, and other services until his death in 2011. Glen’s life mirrors the efforts of believers in Jesus wh...