Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD February 7, Sunday RECOVERING WHAT’S LOST Patricia Raybon But David found strength in the  Lord  his God.  1 Samuel 30:6 1 Samuel 30:1–6, 18–19 Leviticus 1–3; Matthew 24:1–28 At the phone store, the young pastor steeled himself for bad news. His smartphone, accidentally dropped during our Bible class, was a total loss, right? Actually, no. The store clerk recovered all of the pastor’s data, including his Bible videos and photos. She also recovered “every photo I’d ever deleted,” he said. The store also “replaced my broken phone with a brand-new phone.” As he said, “I recovered all I had lost and  more .” David once led his own recovery mission after an attack by the vicious Amalekites. Spurned by Philistine rulers, David and his army discovered the Amalekites had raided and burned down their town of Ziklag—taking captive “the women and everyone else in it,” including all their wives and children (1 Samuel 30:2–3). “So David and his men wept aloud unti...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 6, Saturday WHAT’S YOUR REPUTATION? Arthur Jackson Now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.  Ephesians 5:8 Ephesians 5:8–14 Exodus 39–40; Matthew 23:23–39 At local high school sporting events, Ted was the largest and loudest cheerleader in the stands. Before a degenerative condition took its toll on him, he stood six feet six inches tall and weighed 290 pounds. Ted’s crowd-stirring chants of “Blue!” (the school’s color) and candy-tossing at school events were legendary, earning him the name “Big Blue.” But Ted’s reputation in his community wasn’t just for cheerleading. Neither was it for the alcohol addiction he experienced as a younger man. No, he will be remembered for his love for God and family, for his generosity and kindness. At a four-hour “home-going service” that celebrated his life, person after person came forward to testify about the vibrant Christlike ways of a man who’d been rescued from darkness by the power of Jesus through ...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 5, Friday HOLD STEAD Dave Branon I am the  Lord  your God who takes hold of your right hand.  Isaiah 41:13 Isaiah 41:10–13 Exodus 36–38; Matthew 23:1–22 Harriet Tubman was one of the great American heroes of the nineteenth century. Showing remarkable courage, she guided more than three hundred fellow slaves to freedom after she first escaped slavery by crossing into free territory in the United States North. Not content to simply enjoy her own freedom, she ventured back into slave states nineteen times to lead friends, family, and strangers to freedom, sometimes guiding people on foot all the way to Canada. What drove Tubman to such brave action? A woman of deep faith, she at one time said this: “I always told God, I’m going to hold steady on you, and you’ve got to see me through.” Her dependence on God’s guidance as she led people out of slavery was a hallmark of her success. What does it mean to “hold steady” to God? A verse in the prophecy of I...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 4, Thursday FAITH INVESTMENTS Cindy Hess Kasper Teach [these words of mine] to your children.  Deuteronomy 11:19 Deuteronomy 11:18–20 Exodus 34–35; Matthew 22:23–46 On his twelfth Christmas, the boy eagerly awaited the opening of the gifts under the tree. He was yearning for a new bike, but his hopes were dashed—the last present he received was a  dictionary . On the first page, he read: “To Charles from Mother and Daddy, 1958. With love and high hopes for your best work in school.” In the next decade, Chuck did do well in school. He graduated from college and later, aviation training. He became a pilot working overseas, fulfilling his passion to help people in need and to share Jesus with them. Now some sixty years after receiving this gift, he shared the well-worn dictionary with his grandchildren. It had become for him a symbol of his parents’ loving investment in his future, and Chuck still treasures it. But he’s even more grateful for the daily in...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 3, Wednesday WAITING FOR A BLESSING James Banks Though it linger, wait for it.  Habakkuk 2:3 Habakkuk 1:12–2:4 Exodus 31–33; Matthew 22:1–22 A popular restaurant in Bangkok serves soup from a broth that has been cooking for forty-five years and is replenished a bit each day. The practice, called “perpetual stew,” dates back to medieval times. Just as some “leftovers” taste better a few days later, the extended cooking time blends and creates unique flavors. The restaurant has won multiple awards for the most delicious broth in Thailand. Good things often take time, but our human nature struggles with patience. The question “How long?” occurs throughout the Bible. One poignant example is from the prophet Habakkuk, who begins his book by asking, “How long, L ord , must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Habakkuk 1:2). Habakkuk (whose name means “grappler”) prophesied God’s judgment on his country (Judah) through the invasion of the ruthless Babylonian ...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 2, Tuesday PRUNED TO THRIVE Adam R. Holz Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  John 15:2 John 15:1–12 Exodus 29–30; Matthew 21:23–46 As I watched a bumblebee land lightly on the Russian sage, I marveled at the bush’s lush branches exploding with color. Its brilliant blue blossoms attracted eyes and bees alike. Yet only last fall, I’d wondered if it would ever blossom again. When my wife’s parents trimmed the periwinkle plant down to a stub, I’d assumed they’d decided to get rid of it. But now I was witnessing the radiant result of pruning that had seemed brutal to me.  The surprising beauty that results from harsh cuts may be one of the reasons Jesus chose pruning imagery to describe God’s work among believers. In John 15, He says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. . . . Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (vv. 1–2). J...

OUR DAILY BREAD February 1, Monday A HOUSE ON A ROCK Winn Collier Everyone who [practices] these words of mine . . . is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  Matthew 7:24 Matthew 7:24–29 Exodus 27–28; Matthew 21:1–22 As many as 34,000 homes in one US state are at risk of collapsing due to faulty foundations. Without realizing it, a concrete company pulled stone from a quarry laced with a mineral that, over time, causes concrete to crack and disintegrate. The foundations of nearly six hundred homes have already crumbled, and that number will likely skyrocket over time. Jesus used the image of building a home atop a faulty foundation to explain the far riskier danger of building our lives on unsteady ground. He explained how some of us construct our life on sturdy rock, ensuring that we hold solid when we face fierce storms. Others of us, however, erect our lives on sand; and when the tempests rage, our lives tumble “with a great crash” (Matthew 7:27). The one distin...