Foursquare Gospel Church Igbosere (Chapel of Blessing)

OUR DAILY BREAD May 8, 2016 Sunday NOT FORGOTTEN Lawrence Darmani Isaiah 49:13-21 I will not forget you! Isaiah 49:15 God compared His love for His people with a mother’s love for her child. When the people of Israel felt abandoned by God during their exile, they complained: “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me” (Isa. 49:14). But God said, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!” (v. 15). When we are distressed or disillusioned, we may feel abandoned by society, family, and friends, but God does not abandon us. It is a great encouragement that the Lord says, "I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" (v. 16) to indicate how much He knows and protects us. Even if people forsake us, God will never forsake His own. Thank You, Lord, that I am Yours forever. I’m thankful that I won’t have to walk through any experience alo...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 5, 2016 PRAYER MARATHON Poh Fang Chia 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28 Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Do you struggle to maintain a consistent prayer life? Many of us do. We know that prayer is important, but it can also be downright difficult. We have moments of deep communion with God and then we have times when it feels like we’re just going through the motions. Why do we struggle so in our prayers? The life of faith is a marathon. The ups, the downs, and the plateaus in our prayer life are a reflection of this race. And just as in a marathon we need to keep running, so we keep praying. The point is: Don’t give up! That is God’s encouragement too. The apostle Paul said, “pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17), “keep on praying” (Rom. 12:12 nlt), and “devote yourselves to prayer” (Col. 4:2). All of these statements carry the idea of remaining steadfast and continuing in the work of prayer. And because God, ou...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 4, 2016 Wednesday OUT OF THE RUINS Tim Gustafson Lamentations 5:8-22 He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins. Ezra 9:9 Lamentations is Jeremiah’s funeral song for Jerusalem. With graphic imagery the prophet describes the impact of war on his city. Verse 21 is his heartfelt prayer for God to intervene. Still, the prophet wonders if that is even possible. He concludes his anguished song with this fearful caveat: “unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure” (v. 22). Decades later, God did answer that prayer as the exiles returned to Jerusalem. Our lives too may seem to be in ruins. Troubles of our own making and conflicts we can’t avoid may leave us devastated. But we have a Father who understands. Gently, patiently, He clears away the rubble, repurposes it, and builds something better. It takes time, but we can always trust Him. He specializes in rebuilding projects....

OUR DAILY BREAD May 3, 2016 Tuesday JUST WHAT I NEED Dave Branon 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 We can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4. All around us are people in need, and sometimes we have to set aside our own feelings and agendas to help them. One way we can do that is to remember how God has comforted us in our trials and troubles “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Cor. 1:4). How easy it is to be engrossed in our own concerns and forget that someone right next to us might need a prayer, a word of comfort, a hug, or gift of mercy in Jesus’ name. Lord, help me to see where help is needed, and help me to provide that help. Thank You for the comfort You give; help me to share it. Comfort received should be comfort shared. Today’s reading gives special attention to how believers are to serve one another in humility. During our Lord’s ...

OUR DAILY BREAD May 1, 2016 Sunday THE RESTORATION BUSINESS Dennis Fisher Philippians 3:1-8 I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. —nkjv Philippians 3:8 After the apostle Paul turned his life over to the Savior, he realized his own achievements and abilities amounted to little more than trash. But Jesus transformed it all into something new and useful. Paul said, “Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:7-8). Having been trained in Jewish religious law, he had been an angry and violent man toward those who followed Christ (Acts 9:1-2). After being transformed by Christ, the tangled wreckage of his angry past was transformed into the love of Christ for others (2 Cor. 5:14-17). If ...

OUR DAILY BREAD April 29, 2016 Friday THE FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST Marion Stroud 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 We are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:15 Which of the five senses brings back your memories most sharply? For me it is definitely the sense of smell. A certain kind of sun oil takes me instantly to a French beach. The smell of chicken mash brings back childhood visits to my grandmother. A hint of pine says “Christmas,” and a certain kind of aftershave reminds me of my son’s teenage years. Paul reminded the Corinthians that they were the aroma of Christ: “For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ” (2 Cor. 2:15). He may have been referring to Roman victory parades. The Romans made sure everyone knew they had been victorious by burning incense on altars throughout the city. For the victors, the aroma was pleasing; for the prisoners it meant certain slavery or death. So as believers, we are victorious soldiers. And when the gospel...

OUR DAILY BREAD April 28, 2016 Thursday AN AMAZING LOVE Dave Branon Malachi 1:1-10; 4:5-6 “I have loved you,” says the Lord. Malachi 1:2 The final major historic acts of the Old Testament are described in Ezra and Nehemiah as God allowed the people of Israel to return from exile and resettle in Jerusalem. The City of David was repopulated with Hebrew families, a new temple was built, and the wall was repaired. And that brings us to Malachi. This prophet, who was most likely a contemporary of Nehemiah, brings the written portion of the Old Testament to a close. Notice the first thing he said to the people of Israel: “ ‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord.” And look at their response: “How have you loved us?” (1:2). Amazing, isn’t it? Their history had proven God’s faithfulness, yet after hundreds of years in which God continually provided for His chosen people in both miraculous and mundane ways, they wondered how He had s...