Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD March 21, Sunday GOD AT WORK Bible in a Year: Joshua 7–9   Luke 1:21–38 Surely he was the Son of God! Matthew 27:54 Today's Scripture & Insight: Matthew 27:50–54 “God is crying.” Those were the words whispered by Bill Haley’s ten-year-old daughter as she stood in the rain with a group of multiethnic believers in Jesus. They had come to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to seek God and make sense of the legacy of racial discord in America. As they stood on the grounds where former slaves were buried, they joined hands in prayer. Then suddenly the wind began to blow, and it started to rain. As the leader called out for racial healing, the rain began to fall even harder. Those gathered believed that God was at work to bring reconciliation and forgiveness. And so was it at Calvary—God was at work. After the crucified Jesus breathed His last, “The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open” ( Matthew 27:51–52 ). Though some had denied who Jesus was, a centurion...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 20, Saturday LOVING CORRECTION Bible in a Year: Joshua 4–6   Luke 1:1–20 Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. Proverbs 15:31 Today's Scripture & Insight: Luke 10:38–42 For more than fifty years, my dad strove for excellence in his editing. His passion wasn’t to just look for mistakes but also to make the copy better in terms of clarity, logic, flow, and grammar. Dad used a green pen for his corrections, rather than a red one. A green pen he felt was “friendlier,” while slashes of red might be jarring to a novice or less confident writer. His objective was to gently point out a better way. When Jesus corrected people, He did so in love. In some circumstances—such as when He was confronted with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees ( Matthew 23 )—He rebuked them harshly, yet still for their benefit. But in the case of his friend Martha, a gentle correction was all that was needed ( Luke 10:38–42 ). While the Pharisees responded poorl...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 19, Friday THE PURPLE SHAWL Bible in a Year: Joshua 1–3   Mark 16 I urge you . . . to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Romans 15:30 Today's Scripture & Insight: Romans 15:23–33 While serving as my mom’s live-in caregiver at a cancer center hundreds of miles away from my home, I asked people to pray for us. As the months passed, isolation and loneliness sapped my strength. How could I care for my mom if I gave in to my physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion? One day, a friend sent me an unexpected care package. Jodi had crocheted a purple prayer shawl, a warm reminder that we had people praying for us daily. Whenever I wrapped the soft yarn around my shoulders, I felt God hugging me with the prayers of His people. Years later, He still uses that purple shawl to comfort me and strengthen my resolve. The apostle Paul affirmed the importance and spirit-refreshing power of praying for others. Through his passionate request for prayerful supp...

OUR DAILY BREAD  March 18, Thursday SMALL YET MIGHTY Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 32–34   Mark 15:26–47 We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 Today's Scripture & Insight: Ephesians 2:4–10 There are times late at night in North America’s harsh Sonoran Desert where one can hear a faint, high-pitched howl. But you probably wouldn’t suspect the source of the sound—the small yet mighty grasshopper mouse, howling at the moon to establish its territory. This unique rodent (dubbed the “werewolf mouse”) is also carnivorous. In fact, it preys on creatures few would dare mess with, such as the scorpion. But the werewolf mouse is uniquely equipped for that particular battle. It not only has a resistance to scorpion venom but can even convert the toxins into a painkiller! There’s something inspiring about the way this resilient little mouse seems custom-made to survive and even thrive in its harsh environment. As Paul explains in  Ephesia...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 17, Wednesday IT’S JESUS! Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 30–31   Mark 15:1–25 God has chosen to make known . . . the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 Today's Scripture & Insight: Colossians 1:27–29; 2:6–10 During an episode of the popular US television talent competition  America’s Got Talent , a five-year-old girl sang with such exuberance that a judge compared her to a famous child singer and dancer in the 1930s. He remarked, “I think Shirley Temple is living somewhere inside of you.” Her unexpected response: “Not Shirley Temple. Jesus!” I marveled at the young girl’s deep awareness that her joy came from Jesus living in her. Scripture assures us of the amazing reality that all who trust in Him not only receive the promise of eternal life with God but also Jesus’ presence living in them through His Spirit—our hearts become Jesus’ home ( Colossians 1:27 ;  Ephesians 3:17 ). Jesus’ presence...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 16, Tuesday A STRONG HEART Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 28–29   Mark 14:54–72 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26 Today's Scripture & Insight: Psalm 73:21–28 In his book  Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,  co-authored with Philip Yancey, Dr. Paul Brand observed, “A hummingbird heart weighs a fraction of an ounce and beats eight hundred times a minute; a blue whale’s heart weighs half a ton, beats only ten times per minute, and can be heard two miles away. In contrast to either, the human heart seems dully functional, yet it does its job, beating 100,000 times a day [65–70 times a minute] with no time off for rest, to get most of us through seventy years or more.” The amazing heart so thoroughly powers us through life that it has become a metaphor for our overall inner well-being. Yet, both our literal and metaphorical hearts are prone to failure. What can we do? The psalmist Asaph,...

OUR DAILY BREAD March 15 CARING LETTERS Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 26–27   Mark 14:27–53 You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession. 1 Peter 2:9 Today's Scripture & Insight: 1 Peter 2:4–10 Decades ago, Dr. Jerry Motto discovered the power of a “caring letter.” His research found that simply sending a letter expressing care to discharged patients who had previously attempted suicide reduced the rate of recurrence by half. Recently, health care providers have rediscovered this power when sending “caring” texts, postcards, and even social media memes as follow-up treatment for the severely depressed.  Twenty-one “books” in the Bible are actually letters—epistles—caringly written to first-century believers who struggled for a variety of reasons. Paul, James, and John wrote letters to explain the basics of faith and worship, and how to resolve conflict and build unity.  The apostle Peter, however, specifically wrote to believers ...